Split Bridge at Kingswood Junction

This is where the Grand Union Canal meets the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. This is what is known as a 'cross over' bridge where the tow path changes from one side of the canal to the other. In the days when barges were pulled by horses, the horses were led over the bridge and a gap was left in the iron bridge so that the tow rope could be passed through it... this meant that the horses didn't have to be unhitched and then hitched up again on the other side. There are raised lines of bricks built into the surface of the bridge to stop the horses from slipping as they negotiated them. Yet another bit of Victorian ingenuity!