Birmingham Canal - Birmingham Canal Navigations
Great Britain 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Mapping Extracts © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey. All Rights Reserved. Educational licence 100045616.
Contents
- Birmingham Main Line Canal
- Aldersley Junction to Broad Street Basin, Wolverhampton
- Broad Street Basin to Horseley Fields Junction
- Horseley Fields Junction to Bradley Canal Junction
- Bradley Canal Junction to Factory Junction
- Factory Junction to Smethwick Junction on Brindley's Main Line
- Factory Junction to Smethwick Junction on Telford's New Main Line
- Smethwick Junction to Old Turn Junction
- Old Turn Junction to Gas Street Basin
Birmingham Main Line Canal
The Birmingham Main Line Canal opened between Gas Street Basin and the Staffs & Worcs Canal at Aldersley Junction in 1772. The Engineer was James Brindley. A straighter 'New Main Line' was completed in 1838 to the design of Thomas Telford. This left a number of arms and loops.Aldersley Junction to Broad Street Basin, Wolverhampton
[map SJ 91 00]
A flight of 21 locks raises the canal from the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal 132 feet to the 'Wolverhampton Level'. The 'Wolverhampton Level' provided lock free navigation to a large area of the Black Country by the use of 'contour' canals. Apart from the Council Incinerator which occupies the former refuse and night-soil disposal site there is no sign of the foundries and works that hugged the canal banks. The gas works, Springfield Brewery and GWR Railway workshops were later neighbours.
Broad Street Basin to Horseley Fields Junction
[map SO 92 99]
The Broad Street Depot for the Canal carriers, 'Fellows, Morton & Clayton' linked with the new railway station. Albion Mill and steam-powered flour mills on Corn Hill exploited the new transport link. The first canal junction at Horseley Fields connects to the Wyrley & Essington Canal (Curly Wyrley). Completed in 1795 this winds north into the 'Black Country Coalfield' serving Wednesfield, Essington, Aldridge, Brownhills and Pelsall. The canal transformed these communities allowing raw materials (coal, limestone and clay) and manufactured goods (locks, traps, bricks and tiles) to be transported cheaply.
Horseley Fields Junction to Bradley Canal Junction
[map SO 92 98]
Industry and derelict industry characterises the canal leaving Wolverhampton towards Bilston on Brindley's Main Line. Some retail development has crept in along the Bilston Road.[map SO 92 97]
The Monmore Green area had steel rolling mills and tubeworks and has industrial fabrication works. [map SO 93 95]
The canal passes through the former 'Black Country' coalfields. Until the 1980s British Steel (successor to Stewarts and Lloyds) had a major steelworks with two blast furnaces beside the canal. There were numerous foundries and other iron works all with their wharves and branches. These have all disappeared to be replaced by housing, warehousing and retail developments. Brindley's original canal branches off at Deepfields and remains in part as the Bradley Arm terminating at the British Waterways workshops.
Great Britain 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster Mapping Extracts © Crown copyright Ordnance Survey. All Rights Reserved. Educational licence 100045616.
( Page 1 2 3 4 next >> )