Forton 

Just Prior to Ratcliffe Bridge (No. 75) on the offside is Ratcliffe Wharf. This was once busy with canal barges and is now a mooring. The mounds behind the mooring are old lime kilns, which were common along the length of the canal. Barges would bring in limestone and coal, and the lime was burnt. The burnt 'Quicklime' was used to improve farmland and to make mortar. North of Bridge 75 is perhaps the most beautiful stretch of the canal. Notice the number of small canal side woodlands. Most were originally planted with larch to provide timber for canal related works. Some larches remain, characterised by their swooping branches and curved needles.

Forton lies a mile Southeast of Bridge 79. It became the richest village in England due to the payments received when the M6 motorway was built. The small basin at Richmond Bridge was constructed for transhipment of stone from the nearby quarry, which is now disused. At Bridge 84 is Ellel Grange, built between 1857 and 1859. The Bridge is more ornate in style, in keeping with that of the secluded (private) mansion.

The next Bridge along (No. 85) is Double Bridge The Bridge was to lie at the boundary between two farms, so the Canal Company had to build a 'double' Bridge with accesses divided by a wall.

                                                                                                                                

Page last updated on: 19.12.2006, 15:06 by Merlin