Wyther Bridge No 223 carries a farm track over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal (Main Line - Wigan to Leeds) between Stockport and Plymouth.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal (Main Line - Wigan to Leeds) was built by Nicholas Clarke and opened on January 1 1835. The canal joined the sea near Blackburn. Expectations for sea sand traffic to Polecroft were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. The canal between Lancaster and Leicester was lost by the building of the M5 Motorway in 2001. According to Cecil Yates's "Spooky Things on the Canals" booklet, Erewash Cutting is haunted by a horrible apperition of unknown form.

There is a bridge here which takes a minor road over the canal.
| Kirkstall Lock No 7 | 3¾ furlongs | |
| Kirkstall New Road Bridge No 221A | 2½ furlongs | |
| Kirkstall Old Road Footbridge | 2 furlongs | |
| Kirkstall Brewery Visitor Moorings | 1¾ furlongs | |
| Kirkstall Wharf Bridge No 222 | 1½ furlongs | |
| Wyther Bridge No 223 | ||
| Redcote Footbridge | 5¾ furlongs | |
| Redcote Bridge No 224 | 6 furlongs | |
| Aire Valley Marina (western entrance) | 6¾ furlongs | |
| Aire Valley Marina (eastern entrance) | 1 mile, ½ furlongs | |
| Railway Bridge No 224A | 1 mile, 1¼ furlongs | |
Amenities here
Amenities nearby at Kirkstall Wharf Bridge No 222
Amenities nearby at Redcote Footbridge
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Nearest water point
In the direction of Leeds Bridge
In the direction of Wigan Junction
Nearest rubbish disposal
In the direction of Leeds Bridge
In the direction of Wigan Junction
Nearest chemical toilet disposal
In the direction of Leeds Bridge
In the direction of Wigan Junction
Nearest place to turn
In the direction of Leeds Bridge
In the direction of Wigan Junction
Nearest self-operated pump-out
In the direction of Leeds Bridge
In the direction of Wigan Junction
Nearest boatyard pump-out
In the direction of Leeds Bridge
In the direction of Wigan Junction
There is no page on Wikipedia called “Wyther Bridge”


![New bollards and markings on Wyther Lane Bridge. Nearly three years after major improvements to the bridge [[7042096]], these bollards appeared in November 2024. The yellow box markings were added a few months earlier. Presumably the intention of the bollards is to stop HGVs coming this way and mounting the pavement to get round the curve. But as the track in the frost in the foreground shows, they could have extended the row. And the yellow box has not stopped downhill motorists from blocking the single track road when queueing traffic backs up to the bridge. by Stephen Craven – 20 November 2024](https://s2.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/07/92/81/7928178_f984e4df_120x120.jpg)
![Crash deck, Wyther Lane bridge. Nearly five months after the collision that damaged the bridge parapets [[6778612]], work had begin on the repair. It was due to last three weeks, but one week into that period only this crash deck had been installed below the bridge to stop debris falling into the canal or onto the towpath. [[4598825]] shows the bridge with parapet intact, some years earlier. by Stephen Craven – 02 August 2021](https://s2.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/92/00/6920058_92431054_120x120.jpg)
![Wyther Lane bridge repaired. Following damage to the parapet about five weeks earlier [[7998411]], the parapet wall had been repaired. To say this is a grade II listed structure, it has not been done to a high standard, with no attempt to match the coursing of the existing stonework, or key the new stones into the old. by Stephen Craven – 11 April 2025](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/02/03/8020391_8f4c0127_120x120.jpg)
![Repaired bridge parapet on Wyther Lane. Following the vehicle collision in March 2021 that resulted in damage to Wyther Lane bridge [[6779661]], a permanent repair was completed in September. The bridge remains closed to motor traffic (not to cyclists, as shown here) until permanent traffic lights have been installed. by Stephen Craven – 01 October 2021](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/97/90/6979047_74ce745b_120x120.jpg)
![Improved temporary barrier at Wyther Lane bridge. Three days after the bridge was damaged, the initial barrier replacing the lost parapet [[6779657]] has already been replaced by a more solid, continuous segmental concrete barrier. This could now be in place for some time while a permanent repair is planned and executed. A local residents' group has already started a petition to campaign for a better replacement bridge, though given its listed status that might not be successful. by Stephen Craven – 18 March 2021](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/78/11/6781132_9c228fd0_120x120.jpg)


![Displaced stones, Wyther Lane bridge. The result of the previous day's road traffic collision [[6778612]]; others had presumably fallen into the canal beneath. by Stephen Craven – 16 March 2021](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/77/96/6779661_08089fe9_120x120.jpg)
![Wyther Lane bridge reopened (3). Canal bridge no. 223 on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal dates from 1777 and is grade II listed (list entry 1255608). After the bridge was damaged in March 2021 [[6778612]] it was repaired, but the bridge was also fitted with traffic lights to make it one-way, with a widened pavement for pedestrians, as seen here. [[6730583]] shows the previous narrow pavement at the start of the year, for comparison. by Stephen Craven – 10 December 2021](https://s2.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/07/04/20/7042098_b7645221_120x120.jpg)
![Further work to Wyther Lane bridge. Following damage to the parapet about four weeks earlier [[7998411]], work had started not only to repair the damage, but to widen the single traffic lane back to its pre-2021 width to allow longer or wider vehicles to pass over the bridge safely. The alternative (preferable in my opinion) would have been to put a length or weight limit on the bridge. The barriers seen here allowed pedestrians and cyclists to continue to cross the bridge during the works. by Stephen Craven – 05 April 2025](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/02/03/8020388_3e0a0816_120x120.jpg)
![Temporary barriers on Wyther Lane bridge. As a result of the previous day's road traffic collision [[6778612]] the damaged parapet was temporarily replaced with these concrete barriers. by Stephen Craven – 16 March 2021](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/77/96/6779657_bc8b6bd2_120x120.jpg)
![Road closed at Wyther Lane bridge. Nearly five months after the collision that damaged the bridge parapets [[6778612]], work had begin on the repair. It was due to last three weeks, but one week into that period only a crash deck had been installed below the bridge. by Stephen Craven – 02 August 2021](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/92/00/6920051_25b8a459_120x120.jpg)
![Wyther Lane bridge. Canal bridge no. 223 on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal dates from 1777 and is grade II listed (list entry 1255608) which is one reason why local calls for it to be widened haven't achieved anything yet. As it is, the bend immediately below the bridge and its relatively narrow carriageway mean that priority has to be given to uphill traffic. There is also only a narrow footpath on one side.Update December 2021: when I took the photo in January and wrote the above comment, I was not to know that two months later the bridge would be damaged, leading to the installation of traffic lights and a wider pavement. See [[7042098]]. by Stephen Craven – 15 January 2021](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/73/05/6730583_7c1765cb_120x120.jpg)

![Wyther Lane bridge reopened (2). After the bridge was damaged in March 2021 [[6778612]] it was repaired, but the bridge was also fitted with traffic lights to make it one-way, with a widened pavement for pedestrians. The work took a total of eight months, to the annoyance of residents on the diversionary route, eventually reopening on 1 December. A good feature of the new set up is that cyclists get a special green light to give us a head start of a few seconds on motor vehicles, especially useful in this uphill direction. by Stephen Craven – 10 December 2021](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/07/04/20/7042096_1181617e_120x120.jpg)


![Wyther Lane bridge, damaged again. The damage was less severe than in 2021 [[6778612]] but still resulted in a road closure. by Stephen Craven – 09 March 2025](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/07/99/84/7998411_833148d6_120x120.jpg)


![Damage to Wyther Lane bridge. The low stone parapet of the grade II listed canal bridge had been damaged by vehicle collision (according to local media reports, the driver of a stolen BMW was responsible). The police had cordoned off the road [[6778609]]. See [[6730583]] for a view two months earlier showing the parapet intact. by Stephen Craven – 15 March 2021](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/06/77/86/6778612_462ba343_120x120.jpg)






![Wyther Lane bridge, closed again!. Despite measures introduced in 2021 following a previous incident [[6778612]] there was further damage to the bridge from a vehicle on 6 March 2025. The road was immediately closed until repairs had been undertaken (estimated to take 2-3 weeks to arrange, though probably much less to undertake). by Stephen Craven – 09 March 2025](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/07/99/84/7998408_0eb8986d_120x120.jpg)
