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The Trent and Mersey Canal is 93·5 miles in length from Derwent Mouth to Preston Brook. The first cut was made by Josiah Wedgwood in July 1766 at Middleport (Stoke-on-Trent). The eastern section between Derwent Mouth and Shugborough (the junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal) was already operational by 1770 and the whole canal through to Preston Brook, where it linked with the Bridgewater Canal was open for business by 1777. James Brindley was the engineer until his death in 1772. There are seventy-six locks en route to raise and lower the water level where hills impede the course. There are four tunnels, including the famous Harecastle Tunnel near Stoke-on-Trent.

When the canals (or railways) were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, they were often routed in such a way that farmers and other landowners had their land bisected, so bridges had to be provided to allow access to fields on both sides of the canal. These bridges are frequently referred to as accommodation bridges, and however solid and well constructed, often don't lead anywhere except from one field to another.