Casthorpe
First bridge raised
In August 1993,there was great celebration at the opening of Casthorpe Bridle Bridge, the first lowered bridge to be raised to navigable height since the destruction of the canal's bridges began in the 1940's. Work parties from the Grantham Canal Restoration Society and the Waterways recovery Group had worked for some months to remove the old low-level footbridge and replace it with an elegant arched timber bridge that allows plenty of room for boats to pass under it.
Casthorpe Bridle Bridge
National Trailboat Rally
In May 1994, the National Trailboat Rally was held on the Grantham Canal. The event had been planned for many years and it was always hoped that boats could be launched on the slipway at Denton then cruised downstream and through the 3 restored Woolsthorpe locks, to moor beside the Rally Field opposite the Muddy Duck pub. The Woolsthorpe locks were opened in time but Casthorpe Bridge was the major worry. However, news broke that Lincolnshire County Council had secured the final funding for the bridge and they were able to remove the old bridge just in time for the 18 boats that attended the rally to cruise through to Woolsthorpe.
Casthorpe Bridge Opened
The opening of Casthorpe Road Bridge on the 3rd June 1995 was arguably the most significant event on the Grantham Canal since the last working boat had left it. Instead of dereliction and obstacles to navigation, which had been occurring with depressing regularity for the last 60 years, here we had a brand new bridge replacing a previous low-level obstruction.
Casthorpe Road Bridge now has ample headroom
The massive structure cost £375,000 and a major factor in the price were the difficulties in getting a sensible alignment for the road at the higher level. British Waterways Regional Manager Ian White subsequently said "This is the most difficult road bridge to replace on the whole Grantham Canal. If we can do this one, we can do any of them." It was fitting that the opening ceremony for the new bridge was carried out by Mike Atherley of the Grantham Canal Restoration Society, who has been such a stalwart campaigner for the canal for 25 years
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