algy Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Where was this canal bridge?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P J Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Lymm, Spring Lane?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Ditchfield's Bridge on The Bridgewater at Lymm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Ditchfield's Bridge on The Bridgewater at Lymm No not as far out as Lymm, the bridge has long gone!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reader Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Stockton Heath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Stockton Heath Very close, but not quite there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Black Bear? can't be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Black Bear? can't be. This is becoming more complicated than I envisaged, the Black Bear canal was a section of this canal that remained after the Manchester Ship Canal was built and this bridge was demolished during the process, so what was the canal but more importantly what was the bridge called? Sounds like Thomas was quite sore when on this bridge!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Tommy Payne? Thomas Akins? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Tommy Payne? Thomas Akins? Near enough Cleo, Tom Paine's bridge over the Old Quay canal, also known as the Runcorn Latchford canal and the Mersey and Irwell canal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 oooh right. Never heard of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 oooh right. Never heard of it! Tom Paine's bridge was situated around the Greenall's avenue area behind the brewery. The Runcorn and Latchford Canal was completed in 1803 and its purpose was to bypass the river Mersey between Runcorn Gap and Warrington where vessels were delayed during neap tides due to shallow sand banks by Fiddler's Ferry.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 You learn something new every day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted November 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 You learn something new every day! Cleo, heres another photo you can just make out the white 'Tom Paine's' bridge on the left behind the trees with the same building advertising some clothing store to it's left, this photo was taken as they were getting ready to excavate the MSC, what was to become Ellesmere Road is behind the banking on the right of photo with St Thomas's church in the background, there's another white bridge centre picture that would be the old Wilderspool Road bridge and would eventually be replaced with the Northwich Road swing bridge. Oop's! forgot the photo Here it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Bennett Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hi Algy, I found this thread when Googling Tom Paine Bridge. I'm doing my family tree and one of my ancestors gave his address just as 'Tom Paine Bridge' in 1863, I had no idea where it was or what it looked like. Unfortunately your original picture has now gone, if it's not too much trouble would you mind posting it again so I can see it? Ironically, although I'm from Warrington I now live in Diss, Norfolk where Tom Paine lived and worked for a time. I wonder what the connection is to the bridge? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hi Tracey and welcome to the forum. Algy's photo of "Tom Paines Bridge" (along with a bit of a discussion about it and maps showing it's location) is on one of the other topics on here too. As with most topics it starts off about one thing then goes off at various tangents and then back and forth again (usually my fault ). There are 3 pages in total See here ...... http://forum.warrington-worldwide.co.uk/index.php?/topic/8144-river-mersey-new-cut/ How far back have you got on your family tree ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Bennett Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 That's amazing, thanks! Interesting the building adjacent is called Leigh Villas as my relative living there had the surname 'Leigh', I got his address from adverts he placed in the Warrington Guardian advertising houses to rent. He's also part of the family of Leigh Mersey Flatmen, Algy's also posted about John Leigh's epitaph in St Elphin's, I think he's part of our tree too. I've got the Leighs back to about 1740 but the oldest branch so far is the Bennett/Guest line which I've got back to 1630. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlec Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Cleo, heres another photo you can just make out the white 'Tom Paine's' bridge on the left behind the trees with the same building advertising some clothing store to it's left, this photo was taken as they were getting ready to excavate the MSC, what was to become Ellesmere Road is behind the banking on the right of photo with St Thomas's church in the background, there's another white bridge centre picture that would be the old Wilderspool Road bridge and would eventually be replaced with the Northwich Road swing bridge. Oop's! forgot the photo Here it is. Algy: Wasn't the other old Wilderspool road bridge in the distance you mention also named the Twenty Steps bridge? I seem to remember reading they named the lock on the Black Bear canal "Twenty Steps" in keeping with the name after the bridge over the road was removed. They also decided to build twenty steps down to the lock from the swing bridge building to tie in with the name (lock gone, but steps still visible today) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hi Algy, I found this thread when Googling Tom Paine Bridge. I'm doing my family tree and one of my ancestors gave his address just as 'Tom Paine Bridge' in 1863, I had no idea where it was or what it looked like. Unfortunately your original picture has now gone, if it's not too much trouble would you mind posting it again so I can see it? Ironically, although I'm from Warrington I now live in Diss, Norfolk where Tom Paine lived and worked for a time. I wonder what the connection is to the bridge? Thanks! Tracy, here are the photos relating to Tom Paines Bridge also two old maps showing the position and area of where it is. Tom Paines bridge over the Old Quay canal. Leigh Villas by the Bridge. Tom Paines Bridge was situated to the left by the building advertising "CLOTHING", the photo shows the start of the Manchester Ship Canal Excavation at Stockton Heath, St. Thomas's Church is in the distance on the right of the picture. 1880 Map showing the bridge prior to building the MSC. 1896 Map showing the area after the canal had been built. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Bennett Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 OMG! I've just been trawling through the other thread in more detail and got to Dizzy's post about Thomas Leigh - that's the ancestor I'm researching! He's my 5x Great Grandfather. So thanks to you guys I now have not only the tithe map showing his property but a photo of it and the modern map location too! Thank you so much - I'm very glad I joined up to post on this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 OMG! I've just been trawling through the other thread in more detail and got to Dizzy's post about Thomas Leigh - that's the ancestor I'm researching! He's my 5x Great Grandfather. So thanks to you guys I now have not only the tithe map showing his property but a photo of it and the modern map location too! Thank you so much - I'm very glad I joined up to post on this thread. Your welcome Tracy, glad we could be of help to you. Keep an eye open there is very often posts on here regarding local history!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Algy: Wasn't the other old Wilderspool road bridge in the distance you mention also named the Twenty Steps bridge? I seem to remember reading they named the lock on the Black Bear canal "Twenty Steps" in keeping with the name after the bridge over the road was removed. They also decided to build twenty steps down to the lock from the swing bridge building to tie in with the name (lock gone, but steps still visible today) Middlec, sorry I have been so long in answering your post, I have been busy decorating and also answering Tracy's queries. Yes the old road bridge over the Old Quay Canal was called twenty steps bridge, I can only imagine there were twenty steps down from the road to the tow path hence the name, and as the level of the road would unlikely to have changed any new steps created would have been the same number as the original ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 OMG! I've just been trawling through the other thread in more detail and got to Dizzy's post about Thomas Leigh - that's the ancestor I'm researching! He's my 5x Great Grandfather. So thanks to you guys I now have not only the tithe map showing his property but a photo of it and the modern map location too! Thank you so much - I'm very glad I joined up to post on this thread. Flippin' heck I'm so glad you joined too Tracey. Who would ever have thought that after all the chats and pondering we've had on here about Leigh Villas, Thomas Leigh and also Tom Paines Bridge (not to mention my obsession over the census records) we'd suddenly be talking to Thomas Leigh's great great great great great great grandaughter. Blimey, I knew this forum was good but that has truly amazed me Do you have a photo of him as it would be great to see what he looked like. Like already said by Algy too, I really hope you stick around on here (especially as you are clearly very good at family tree research as I may have to pick your brains on how to get further back on mine as I got stuck once I got back to the first census year and don’t know how to go sidewards either) but more importantly we need more ‘girlies’ on here as we are out numbered. Going back to your Thomas Leigh though. After refreshing my memory and reading my own posts on the other topic he? I remembered that he seemed to live further up from Leigh Villas and was the owner of the land probably where the current grade listed cottages still stand. I walked past them today and for some bizarre reason I actually said out loud “hello Tracey’s 5x great granddad” and wondered which of the 7 cottages in that individual block he once lived in. What was his trade do you know? Was he a builder as well as a nearby land owner hence the possible reason why Leigh Villas got their name. I wonder if he built the cottages too ? You mentioned in one of your earlier posts about his Warrington Guardian adverts re rental of houses. I guess that could relate to the rental of Leigh Villas (as shown in Algy’s photo) although that land was owned by the other lady on the tithe maps but he could have acquired it later and built on it. Or perhaps the rental adverts could relate to the other cottages further up which he own the land with in partnership with the other gent in earlier times. Have you ever checked if he sold the freehold land where the present day cottages still sit as being a relative you/your family could still actually own it and so could claim the ground rent etc. What date are the adverts you have? I’m very intrigued again now since reading your posts. OMG I sound like a stalker now….. I’m not I promise, but I’m certainly babbling on in usual ‘Dizzy goes into overdrive’ fashion so I will shut up for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted March 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 OMG I sound like a stalker now….. I’m not I promise, but I’m certainly babbling on in usual ‘Dizzy goes into overdrive’ fashion so I will shut up for now. Dizz, twopence you will never shut up! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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