Hythe Bridge

Hythe Bridge consists of a single iron arch spanning the main stream of the Oxford Canal. It replaced an earlier stone structure in eighteen twenty-three to accommodate the expansion of local boat traffic. Engineers designed the curve of the iron specifically to allow horse-drawn barges to pass beneath with their tow ropes intact. While the surrounding neighborhood transformed over the next two centuries, the bridge stayed in place, holding the weight of modern traffic on a path originally built for coal.