This narrow road bridge crosses the Hay Inline Plane at Coalport. Most people probably don’t even give it a thought, apart from when they have to give way to oncoming traffic, but the bridge dates from around 1792, the same time that the Hay Incline Plane was built, due to the bridge crossing it, at the point that it meets the Shropshire Canal at its low level, adjacent to the river Severn.
The bridge is a Grade II Listed Building and the small building to the left must, judging by its orientation and layout, have originally been a toll house. For many years it was the village shop but more recently has been a barbers, and now a hair-dressing salon.
In 1801, the chain pulling an empty tub boat and cradle up the incline snapped, sending both hurtling into the canal just below the bridge, destroying another three tub boats in the canal. Shortly afterwards, wire ropes replaced the chains because these were less likely to become worn and snap.
The last recorded use of the incline plane was in 1894 and it formally closed in 1907. The original tracks were removed and the incline became overgrown – the tracks laid on the incline today are merely a re-creation of what they were – in reality, the centre of each track would have rollers to support the wire ropes pulling the tub boat and cradle up the incline.
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