Skew arch canal bridges in County Kildare
By / On / In Historic Buildings
A skew arch bridge is one where the bridge deck is at an angle to the obstacle it is crossing. In the case of a straight canal a skew bridge would be one which is not at right angles to the canal it is crossing.
Skew stone arch bridges are extremely difficult to construct as the joints between the cut stone blocks are not at right angles and every block used is uniquely shaped. Skew arches were in fact first designed and constructed during Roman times. They were rarely used, if at all, between the end of the Roman empire and the start of the canal and railway building boom 250 years ago.