Bridge no more - Walsall Canal - geograph

The Walsall Canal is a narrow () canal, long, forming part of the

Birmingham Canal Navigations Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) is a network of canals connecting Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and the eastern part of the Black Country. The BCN is connected to the rest of the English canal system at several junctions. It was owned and oper ...

, and passing around the western side of

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Route

The canal runs from Ryders Green Junction where it meets the

Wednesbury Old Canal Wednesbury Old Canal is part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) in West Midlands (county), England. It opened in 1769, and although parts of it were abandoned in 1955 and 1960, the section between Pudding Green Junction and Ryder's Green ...

and the Ridgeacre Branch and immediately drops through the eight Ryders Green Locks to the Walsall Level. At Doe Bank Junction (Tame Valley Junction) it meets the

Tame Valley Canal The Tame Valley Canal is a relatively late (1844) canal in the West Midlands of England. It forms part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. It takes its name from the roughly-parallel River Tame. Geography The canal runs from Tame Valley Junct ...

and the very short Ocker Hill Tunnel Branch, now private moorings, which fed water to the Ocker Hill pumps to replenish the

Wolverhampton Level The Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), a network of narrow canals in the industrial midlands of England, is built on various water levels. The three longest are the Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and Walsall levels. Locks allow boats to move from ...

. It passes northwards, past the junction of the derelict Gospel Oak Branch and under the

West Midlands Metro The West Midlands Metro (originally named Midland Metro) is a light-rail/tram system in the county of West Midlands, England. Opened on 30 May 1999, it currently consists of a single route, Line 1, which operates between the cities of Birmin ...

line, passes the short Bradley Branch at Moorcroft Junction. In this area it passes the huge iron gates of the

Patent Shaft Patent Shaft, formerly The Patent Shaft and Axletree Company, established in 1840, was a large steelworks situated in Wednesbury, West Midlands, England. It was in operation for 140 years. From the time of its opening, it employed hundreds of lo ...

factory, (these gates have now been resited to a traffic island by the bus station in Wednesbury) which remain despite the factory's closure in 1980. It then passes the short

Anson Branch The Anson Branch is a short canal in the West Midlands, England. It runs for just over one mile from its junction with the Walsall Canal near Forster's bridge. It forms part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. The canal is only partially wate ...

(which once led to the Bentley Canal, abandoned 1961) and under the

M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at t ...

just south of junction 10. The very short Walsall Town Arm at Walsall Junction leads into Walsall itself while the main canal rises through eight

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

to meet the

Wyrley & Essington Canal The Wyrley and Essington Canal, known locally as "the Curly Wyrley", is a canal in the English Midlands. As built it ran from Wolverhampton to Huddlesford Junction near Lichfield, with a number of branches: some parts are currently derelict. P ...

Birchills Junction Birchills Junction () is the canal junction at the northern limit of what is now called the Walsall Canal where it meets the Wyrley and Essington Canal main line, near Walsall, West Midlands, England. It opened in 1798, but lasted for little ...

. The canal starts at the

Birmingham Level The Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), a network of narrow canals in the industrial midlands of England, is built on various water levels. The three longest are the Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and Walsall levels. Canal lock, Locks allow boats t ...

, descends to the Walsall Level, then rises to the

History

The canal was built in four distinct stages. It started life as the Broadwaters Extension to the Wednesbury Canal which opened in 1785 to serve collieries in Moxley. This section was authorised as a detached part of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal under that canal's original Act. Meanwhile from the other direction, the Birchills Branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal reached Bloxwich Wharf to the north-west of Walsall by 1798. (Much of this branch from Sneyd Junction was later subsumed into the new mainline of the Wyrley and Essington, when that canal was extended towards Huddlesford, leaving about of the Birchills Branch as a stub.) What was by then known as the Birmingham, Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Company was authorised by the combined company's sixth

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

on 17 April 1794 to extend the canal from Broadwaters to Walsall. It allowed the Company to borrow £45,000, with which to construct the canal to Walsall and three branches to serve iron-stone and coal mines in the locality, all to be completed within three years. Construction began at Broadwaters and reached Darlaston by May 1798. The second phase of construction began in April 1798: excavation was completed in 1799 but the job remained unfinished in 1800. The canal was mapped by

John Snape John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

(1737–1816) in 1808 and this was to be his last known map. The small gap between the Birmingham Canal Navigations line to Walsall and the Wyrley and Essington Canal's Birchills Branch was of concern to businessmen to the north of Walsall, whose access to the south was by a very circuitous route. An independent canal to link the two was planned, but in 1839 the BCN agreed to build a connection. The Walsall Junction Canal was completed in March 1841, p73 its containing eight locks and completing the through route.

Points of interest

Gallery

From north to south: Image:Birchills Junction.jpg, Birchills Junction Image:Walsall Locks toll office and Boaters Mission.jpg, Walsall Locks toll office and Boaters Mission Image:Circular weir Walsall Lock No 5 QF.jpg, Circular weir at Walsall Lock No 5 Image:Walsall Junction QF.jpg, Walsall Junction - the Town Branch Image:Walsall Canal by Spine Road.jpg, Walsall Canal by Spine Road Image:Gospel Oak Junction.jpg, Gospel Oak Junction (Walsall canal runs left and right) Image:Tame Valley Junction.jpg, Tame Valley Junction - start of the

Image:Ocker Hill Tunnel Branch Junction.jpg, Ocker Hill Tunnel Branch Junction (now private) Image:Ryders Green Junction.jpg, Ryders Green Junction - southern terminus

References

External links