The Turnbridge Lift Bridge (also colloquially known as a Locomotive lift bridge) is a

lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swi ...

which spans the

Huddersfield Broad Canal The Huddersfield Broad Canal or Sir John Ramsden's Canal, is a wide-locked navigable canal in West Yorkshire in northern England. The waterway is 3.75 miles (6 km) long and has 9 wide locks. It follows the valley of the River Colne and ...

at Turnbridge,

Kirklees Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The borough comprises the ten towns of Batley, Birstall, West Yorkshire, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. It ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Officially known as Turnbridge, it is bridge number 17 on the Huddersfield Broad Canal. Located at Quay Street, off St Andrews road (approx 300 Yards from the town centre), it opened in 1865 and replaced an earlier

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

. A combination of wheels, chains and counter-weights were used to lift the deck of the bridge out of the way of passing canal barges. Previously

windlass The windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder (barrel), which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt. A winch is affixed to one or both ends, and a cable or rope is wound arou ...

operated, it was refurbished in 2002 and is now

electrically Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

powered. Image:Turnbridge Liftbridge 2 RLH.JPG, Viewed from Southern side of the Broad canal Image:Turnbridge Liftbridge 3 RLH.JPG, Car passing over the bridge towards Watergate

References

Bridges in West Yorkshire Vertical lift bridges in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Kirklees Bridges completed in 1865 Scheduled monuments in West Yorkshire {{UK-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References