from the River Rhiw at Berriew. The canal through Welshpool was one of the first sections to be restored in 1969 when it was proposed that the route of the canal be used for a bypass. Welshpool Town Lock had gates made of cast iron when the canal was closed. These were removed, taken to Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum and replaced by gates of a standard design. Western Branch The section of the canal from Refail (Efail-Fach) Bridge to Freestone Lock is in water and heads in a generally south-westerly direction. Several bridges have been lowered including bridges under the A483 which runs in the same direction as the canal traversing it in places. At Brynderwyn, there is a lock with a whitewashed cottage, once the home of the lockkeeper. To the north of the lock was Brynderwyn Wharf, once a coal wharf, and the towpath briefly changes from the eastern side to the west between bridges 145 and 146 to accommodate it. Several of the bridges on this section of canal are made from cast iron from nearby Brymbo. Glanhafren Bridge, no. 143, carries the date 1889 and has ornate balustrades made from cast iron while bridge 147, which carries Brynderwen New Road over the canal to the north of Abermule, dates from 1853. To the south of Abermule, the A483 cuts across the bed of the canal at an angle. This section of road is relatively recent as the road crossed over the canal at bridge 147 and ran to the east of Abermule when the 1975 Ordnance Survey map was published, but the Abermule western bypass had been built by 1983. To the south-west, Byles Lock and Newhouse Lock continue the ascent towards Newtown. At Aberbechan, a three-arched aqueduct carries the canal over Bechan Brook, a tributary of the River Severn. Nearby are the remains of a corn mill and some maltings. The final bridge on the watered section, no. 153, includes the cast lettering "Brymbo 1862". Immediately afterwards is Freestone Lock, beyond which the canal is dry. Below bridge 153, water enters the canal from the Penarth Weir on the River Severn. The weir is to the south of the lock and is an unusual double-tiered structure. It was constructed by Josiah Jessop in 1813-1814 and there is a modern salmon leap on its western side. The weir can be reached from the lock by following