The bridge is named after a condition of ironstone miners' eyes, from the redness caused by rubbing them with ore-stained hands. The Cherry Eye ironstone quarry site was near to this bridge.
The unusual shape of the bridge is thought to have been done for aesthetic reasons, to placate the local landowner when the canal was built.
Crumpwood Weir was built between 1807 and 1811 to take the Uttoxeter Canal across the River Churnet. Boats dropped through the nearby Carrington's Lock to join the river before being pulled across the top of the weir and back into the canal via Churnet Flood Lock on the south side. This lock was normally left open but had double sets of gates, as water levels could be lower or higher on the river than on the next section of canal towards Denstone.
