Herb Riddle's photos with the keyword: Arch

A scene from under one of the many bridges over the Rochdale canal near Walsden. The cottages may have once belonged to people who worked this canal which was built very much for the industry in these parts. The post on the left is a guideway for the 'Route 66' bicycle way that passes along here. - "The Rochdale Canal in Northern England runs for 33 miles, between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. In Sowerby Bridge it connects with the Calder and Hebble Navigation. In Manchester it connects with the Ashton and Bridgewater Canals. The canal was re-opened to navigation along its entire length in July 2002 and forms part of the South Pennine Ring. Its name refers to the town of Rochdale through which it passes. The Rochdale is a broad canal because its locks are wide enough to allow vessels of 14 feet width. A revised Rochdale Canal Bill was passed in 1794 and construction began. By 1799 the canal was open between Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden and from Manchester to Rochdale. A proposed 1.6 mile tunnel between Walsden and Sladen was replaced by more locks and a higher summit level at 600 feet. The resulting shorter summit level meant that many reservoirs were required to prevent the summit level drying up and to maintain an available supply of water for the 92 locks. The canal opened through to Manchester in 1804. This made it the first trans-Pennine canal route, as the Huddersfield, experiencing much difficulty in the Standedge Tunnel construction, did not open until 1811. The Leeds and Liverpool, with a much longer route, was not fully opened until 1816. The canal remained profitable for some time but by the twentieth century the tonnage being carried was in sharp decline. In 1937 the last boat made the through journey across the Pennines on the Rochdale Canal. In 1952, the canal was closed apart from the short section between Castlefield and the Ashton Canal junction at Piccadilly. The Ashton was abandoned in 1962 and by 1965 the nine locks on the Rochdale through Manchester city centre were almost unusable. Enthusiastic supporters re-opened the Ashton in 1974 and the Rochdale Canal in Manchester was made good. The Rochdale Canal Society was formed to promote the restoration of the canal and in the 1980s and 1990s small scale work began to re-open stretches of the canal between Todmorden and Sowerby Bridge. This involved restoring bridges and locks to navigable condition. In 1996 the canal was opened to navigation once again between Sowerby Bridge and the summit level. " Nice full screen.

Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is the setting for this view. The great house lies just right out of picture but these arches are easily as interesting. More info: www.chatsworth.org

Our walk continues to the centre of this lovely city as we come to this large square. Looming 102 meters over the Piazza del Campo, the elegant, sleek tower to the Palazzo Pubblico is the third tallest in all of Italy. Built from red brick, as a symbol of its affinity to the “commoner” the tower is 87 meters tall of brick and the remaining is a white travertine, most probably to make it visually more prominent. Siena was determined to give the church and the civic authority the same “power” and reverence, so when building the tower which would eventually become the Tower of Mangia and the cathedral bell tower, there were to be of the same height as the cathedral to show that they are equal powers. In reality the bell tower of the Duomo of Siena is only 77 meters, the position of the bell tower is 10 meters higher on the hill - so when gazing upon the skyline of Siena as you are walking the via Francigena, it actually looks the same. Enjoy full screen

You have to be in San Gimignano to really appreciate the medieval beauty and history of this place. Here we are in perhaps the very heart of this walled town, at the 11th c Piazza Duomo. The steps belong to the Bassilica S.Maria Assunta and the building on the left is the Town Hall (Comune San Gimignano) and I am under the archway of a big towered building called Torre Rognosa. It is warm and bright here; hence many of the visitors seek these squares for a quiet place to relax in the shade. The town has many stoned archways; here we can see four alone. Enjoy full screen

Quite a famous view here for many tourist who come from far and wide to visit the Ribblehead Viaduct. Many of those pop into the 'Station Inn' here for a pint or meal, maybe even spending a night or two in its rooms. The lonely station that caters for the 'Settle Carlise' line, that runs over this bridge, is just right of this scene and the viaduct to the left by about 300metres. For those lucky enough here, the sounds of steam can be heard and accompanied by the fabulous sights of some of our most famous steam engines ie 'The Flying Scotsman' , 'Mallard' and 'Black Fives'. The road we can see going uphill carries on to the village of Dent and an unseen road goes from the bottom of the picture, right towards Settle. See PiPs for more from around here. Enjoy large