Ledgard bridge dry dock at the turn of the century

The dry dock at Ledgard Bridge near to the Navigation Tavern dates back to the 1780's,
It was constructed by utilizing part of the cut (Channel) of the original canal dating back to 1764 that passed from this point to join the River Calder near to the Flower Pot.
To improve the navigation avoiding the need to travel the shallow stretch of Calder between Shepley Bridge and Ledgard Bridge, the old cut was replaced by the Mirfield Cut which was constructed in 1776 to form a direct route between these two points..
This new direct cut was constructed by William Jessop and John Pinkerton the engineer and contractor, who on completion of the project went on to become the first operators of the yard.