The Spot Bridge, Brownhills.
“You cannot be serious”
Yes I can, and it is Wimbledon fortnight!!
Photo – BCN Photo Gallery
While visiting the Brownhills Canal Festival, I crossed the bridge and thought – “it doesn’t sing to you like the old one used to”. To try to explain, when you climbed the steps of the old metal bridge, you heard a definite ‘Dong-Dong-Dong’ and when you crossed the bridge itself, it changed to’ Bong – Bong – Bong’ not quite a modern ‘Boing’ definitely ‘Bong’. Then, of course it was back to the Dongs as you climbed back down. The new bridge, a very nice one of the modern style, unfortunately has no voice at all – it’s just there to be walked over – sad, really. Since I left Brownhills in 1960, I can only remember crossing the old bridge once, about seven or eight years ago, but the sound was unmistakeable – and unforgettable. I hope I’m not the only one to remember it! One thing about the bridge that I don’t remember, and that is calling it the ‘Spot Bridge’, it’s somewhere in the back of my brain (with everything else these days!) but I don’t ever remember using the name.
One thing I will say in favour of the new bridge – it’s not just good for disabled people to use, also dogs that are getting past their sell by date. My Dobe, Ellie, comes into that category nowadays, she looks in fine fettle but struggles to run with any speed at all. She is very arthriticky (good word, eh!) in her back end due in no small part to not being able to be exercised for nearly 12 months after an accident chasing a squirrel in which she snapped all the tendons in her right front leg, which now has a plate and a number of bolts holding it together – it’s probably the best leg she’s got these days! All of this means that she has great difficulty in climbing steps, so without the new bridge and its ramps, we would have been stuck on the Brownhills side of the canal!
Chasewaterstuff's Railway & Canal Blog 