Anyone know what this is?

K.S.H · 31-03-2007, 17:58

I had a walk along the canal today, went from Bridge St at Church heading towards Rishton and I came across these (See pics) the 1st one is obvious really but I couldn't work out what the 2nd one was, its like its meant to support a pipe or something but there wasn't anything on the other side of the bridge, anyone any ideas?

Less · 31-03-2007, 18:08

They are rollers to protect the canal bridges.
It's from the days when barges where horse drawn, as the horse pulls and perhaps goes around a corner the ropes would gradually wear into the stone or brick work, so rollers were fitted to reduce wear and tear.

You can actually see in your first pic' the way the ropes have worn the stone.

The second one was for carrying pipes across the canal from when the first sewer pipes were added after all back when the canals where first made they couldn't have planned any room in the bridges for them sewers didn't exist.

K.S.H · 31-03-2007, 18:10

Yeah, thats the 1st one that I said was fairly obvious, whats the 2nd one

WillowTheWhisp · 31-03-2007, 21:48

The second one is as Les said, a support for carrying a pipe which no longer exits. Presumably there would have been other supports like it at one time to and it/they have since gone AWOL.