Birmingham Canal Navigations
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Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) is a network of
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...
s connecting
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
, 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 operated by the Birmingham Canal Navigations Company from 1767 to 1948. At its working peak, the BCN contained about 160 miles (257 km) of canals; today just over 100 miles (160 km) are navigable, and the majority of traffic is from tourist and residential narrowboats.


History

The earliest mention of the Birmingham Canal Navigation appears in Aris’s Birmingham Gazette on 11 April 1768 when it was reported that on 25 March 1768 the first general assembly of the Company of Proprietors of the Birmingham Canal Navigation was held at the Swann Inn, Birmingham, to raise funds to submit for an Act of Parliament. The first canal to be built in the area was the Birmingham Canal, authorised by the Birmingham Canal Navigation Act 1768 and built from 1768 to 1772 under the supervision of
James Brindley James Brindley (1716 – 27 September 1772) was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century. Early life Born i ...
from the, then, edge of Birmingham, with termini at Newhall Wharf (since built over) and Paradise Wharf (also known as Old Wharf) near to
Gas Street Basin Gas Street Basin () is a canal basin in the centre of Birmingham, England, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal meets the BCN Main Line. It is located on Gas Street, off Broad Street, and between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace canal-side d ...
to meet the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at
Aldersley Aldersley is a small suburb of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is north-west of Wolverhampton city centre, within the Tettenhall Regis ward. Aldersley is a relatively modern part of Wolverhampton, with most of the housing stock – b ...
(north of Wolverhampton). It opened for business on 14 September 1772. In 1769 an Act was obtained to construct the canal through a detached portion of the county of Shropshire, near Oldbury, and it included powers to make reservoirs anywhere within 3 miles between Smethwick and Oldbury. The
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is a canal of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in the West Midlands of England. Its purpose was to provide a link between the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and thereby connect Birmingham to London via the Oxfor ...
, from Birmingham to Tamworth, followed in 1784 with the Birmingham Canal Company merging with the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Company immediately, to form what was originally called the ''Birmingham and Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Company''. This cumbersome name was short-lived, and the combined company became incorporated as the ''Birmingham Canal Navigations'' from 1794, as the network was expanded. The Birmingham Canal Navigation Act 1794 authorised the extension from Broadwater to Walsall, and the short cut between Bloomfield and Deepfield, where the Coseley Tunnel was constructed, which with a length of , avoided a detour around Tipton Hill of . Between 1825 and 1829 the canal was improved by the cutting down by of the summit at Smethwick, which occupied two and a half years, and cost £560,000 (), and by cutting off bends and erecting steam engines which reduced the cost of haulage by 4d. per ton. Between 1825 and 1837 the navigation was improved between Spon Lane, Deepfield and Wolverhampton, saving a distance of six miles, which reduced the toll on coal by 9d per ton. At the same time the Titford Canal was constructed at a cost upwards of £200,000 (). The junction with the
Warwick and Birmingham Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter st ...
was made under powers of an Act of 1815. These improvements were all consolidated under an Act of 1835. From 1839 to 1843 the Tame Valley Canal was built, along with the Bentley, Rushall and Walsall Junction Canals opening up the Cannock Chase and Wyrley coal districts to the town of Birmingham at a cost upwards of £570,000 (). The
Wyrley and 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. ...
was incorporated by the Birmingham Canal: Navigation Act 1792 which authorised the line from Wolverhampton to Sneyd Junction and Walsall. The extension to Huddlesford and the Lord Hay and Daw End branches were constructed under the Birmingham Canal Navigation Act 1794. This amalgamated with the Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1840. In 1855 the Cannock Extension Canal and the Wyrley Bank Branch were added to the network at a cost upwards of £100,000 (). From 1855 to 1858 the Netherton Tunnel and other improvements cost the company upwards of £350,000 (). In 1776, the
Dudley Canal The Dudley Canal is a canal passing through Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The canal is part of the English and Welsh connected network of navigable inland waterways, and in particular forms part of the popular Stourport Ring narrowboat ...
was authorised from Parkhead to the junction with the Stourbridge Canal. The Parkhead to Tipton Green section including Dudley Tunnel was made under the
Dudley Canal Act 1785 Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administ ...
, and the extension from Parkhead to Selly Oak Junction with the Oxford and Birmingham Canal, including the Gorsty Hill and Lappal Tunnels under the Selly Oak Canal Act 1793. This canal became part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1846. It was re-established as a body corporate on 17 June 1835. It was taken over by the
London and Birmingham Railway The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). The railway line which the company opened in 1838, betw ...
in 1846, and subsequently owned by the London and North Western Railway, then the London, Midland and Scottish Railway until the 1 January 1948 when it passed to the
British Transport Commission The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...
.


Levels

The BCN is built on three main levels, each with its own
reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
. * OD, the Birmingham Level; * OD, the Wolverhampton Level; * OD, the Walsall Level These levels are linked by
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 ...
at various places on the network. There are also stretches on their own levels. * The
Titford Canal The Titford Canal () is a narrow (7 foot) canal, a short branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) in Oldbury, West Midlands, Oldbury, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Authorised under the ''Birmingham Canal Act 1768 ...
and its branches were built at OD, linked to the
Titford Reservoir The Titford Canal () is a narrow (7 foot) canal, a short branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) in Oldbury, West Midlands, England. Authorised under the ''Birmingham Canal Act 1768'' which created the original Birmingham Canal, ...
(Titford Pool). A feeder supplies water to the
Edgbaston Reservoir Edgbaston Reservoir, originally known as Rotton Park Reservoir and referred to in some early maps as Rock Pool Reservoir, is a canal feeder reservoir in Birmingham, England, maintained by the Canal & River Trust.Environment Agency public regist ...
. * A short section of the BCN Old Main Line, at Smethwick Summit, was built at OD. Pumps at either end were built to pump water used by the locks back to the summit – one at Spon Lane locks, and one at Smethwick locks: the Smethwick Engine. When the summit became too busy
John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the fi ...
designed a scheme where it was lowered by to the Wolverhampton level, eliminating six locks and providing a parallel set of locks at Smethwick which improved traffic throughput. It also linked to the general Wolverhampton Level supply of water.


The canals of the BCN

* BCN Main Line (originally known as the Birmingham Canal) from
Aldersley Junction Aldersley Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Birmingham Main Line Canal terminates and meets the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near to Oxley, north Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It opened in 1772. His ...
(north of Wolverhampton) to
Gas Street Basin Gas Street Basin () is a canal basin in the centre of Birmingham, England, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal meets the BCN Main Line. It is located on Gas Street, off Broad Street, and between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace canal-side d ...
(at the Worcester Bar in central Birmingham), using some of the Old Main Line canal. **Old Main Line, originally terminating in Birmingham at two wharfs now built upon: Old Wharf (adjacent to Gas Street Basin) and Newhall Wharf. **New Main Line, a revised route for the Birmingham Canal, double
towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...
ed, largely progressing in straight lines using cuttings and tunnels. * Bentley Canal (abandoned) *
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal is a canal of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in the West Midlands of England. Its purpose was to provide a link between the Coventry Canal and Birmingham and thereby connect Birmingham to London via the Oxfor ...
(from
Old Turn Junction Old Turn Junction, or Deep Cutting Junction () is a canal junction in Birmingham, England, where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal meets the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal. The junction features a circular island. History When t ...
(by the National Indoor Arena), eastwards to the
Coventry Canal The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England. It starts in Coventry and ends to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with th ...
at
Fazeley Junction Fazeley Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the authorised Birmingham and Fazeley Canal terminates and meets the Coventry Canal at Fazeley, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. History The Coventry Canal was authorised by a ...
, and thence north-west as far as bridge 78.) **
Digbeth Branch Canal The Digbeth Branch Canal in Birmingham, England is a short canal which links the mainline of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at Aston Junction and the Grand Union Canal at Digbeth Junction (or historically, at the adjacent Warwick Bar) in ...
* Bradley Locks Branch *
Dudley Canal The Dudley Canal is a canal passing through Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The canal is part of the English and Welsh connected network of navigable inland waterways, and in particular forms part of the popular Stourport Ring narrowboat ...
** Bumble Hole Branch Canal (part of a bypassed loop) **Dudley Canal Line No 1 (see also
Dudley Tunnel Dudley Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Dudley Canal Line No 1, England. At about long, it is now the second longest canal tunnel on the UK canal network today. ( Standedge Tunnel is the longest, at , and the Higham and Strood tunnel is now ...
) **Dudley Canal Line No 2 (about half dewatered; see also
Lapal Tunnel The Lapal Tunnel (old spelling Lappal Tunnel) is a disused canal tunnel on the five mile dry section of the Dudley No. 2 Canal in the West Midlands, England. It takes its name from the settlement of Lapal. History The narrow brick-lined tun ...
;
Netherton Reservoir Netherton Reservoir - otherwise known as Lodge Farm Reservoir or locally known as The Rezza is a canal feeder reservoir in the Netherton district of Dudley, England. It opened in 1838, and is now used for watersports, as well as supplying wa ...
) **The Two Locks Line (infilled) *The
Engine Arm The Engine Arm or Birmingham Feeder Arm near Smethwick, West Midlands, England, is a short canal which was originally part of a feeder tunnel for a pumping engine. When the Smethwick flight of locks were reduced from six to three, the pumping e ...
*
Gower Branch Canal The Gower Branch Canal is a half-mile canal at Tividale in England, linking Albion Junction on the Birmingham Level (453 feet above sea) of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, and Brades Hall Junction (sometimes written ''Bradeshall Junction' ...
- linking the Birmingham and Wolverhampton levels, via three locks, at Tividale. *
Icknield Port Loop The Icknield Port Loop (originally the Rotton Park Loop) is a loop of the eighteenth-century-built Old BCN Main Line canal in Birmingham, England, about west of the city centre, which opened to traffic on 6 November 1769 and in some definitio ...
(part of the Old Main Line cut off by Telford's improvements, now serving as a feeder from
Edgbaston Reservoir Edgbaston Reservoir, originally known as Rotton Park Reservoir and referred to in some early maps as Rock Pool Reservoir, is a canal feeder reservoir in Birmingham, England, maintained by the Canal & River Trust.Environment Agency public regist ...
) *
Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal, in the West Midlands county, England, is part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, (BCN). It was constructed at a 453–foot elevation, the Wednesbury or Birmingham level; it has no locks. The total length of the ...
* Rushall Canal *
Soho Loop The Soho Loop is a section of the eighteenth-century Old BCN Main Line canal in Birmingham, England, about west of the city centre, which opened to traffic on 6 November 1769, and was bypassed in September 1827 by a straight section of the ...
(an old circuitous route cut off by Telford's improvements, originally with a branch, the
Soho Branch Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develo ...
to Soho Wharf, serving the
Soho Manufactory The Soho Manufactory () was an early factory which pioneered mass production on the assembly line principle, in Soho, Birmingham, England, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It operated from 1766–1848 and was demolished in 1853. B ...
) * Spon Lane Locks Branch (between
Bromford Junction Bromford Junction () is a canal junction at the foot of the Spon Lane Locks where the Spon Lane Locks Branch meets the BCN New Main Line near Oldbury in the West Midlands, England. History The location of the junction was originally on the ...
and
Spon Lane Junction Spon Lane Junction () is the original junction of the Wednesbury Canal and the Birmingham Canal, near Oldbury in the West Midlands, England. History The 1768 Act of Parliament which authorised the building of the Birmingham Canal to Wolverha ...
on the Old Main Line - 3 locks, part of the original Wednesbury Canal, not to be confused with ''Spon Lane Branch'', another name for Tat Bank Branch on the Titford Canal) *
Titford Canal The Titford Canal () is a narrow (7 foot) canal, a short branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) in Oldbury, West Midlands, Oldbury, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Authorised under the ''Birmingham Canal Act 1768 ...
*
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 Junc ...
(a later canal cutting off some northern meanders) *
Walsall Canal The Walsall Canal is a narrow () canal, long, forming part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, and passing around the western side of Walsall, West Midlands, England. Route The canal runs from Ryders Green Junction where it meets the Wednes ...
(a more modern canal connecting the main line with Walsall and forming a big northern loop with the Wyrley and Essington Canal) **
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 ...
** Walsall Branch Canal (Town Branch) * Wednesbury Oak Loop (part of the original Old Main Line, now incomplete) * Wednesbury Old Canal - part of the original Wednesbury Canal **
Ridgacre Branch The Ridgacre Branch is a canal branch of the Wednesbury Old Canal, part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, in the West Midlands, England. It opened in 1828, to serve collieries and iron works, and was disused by the 1960s. Except for its b ...
*
Wyrley and 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. ...
(bought by the Birmingham Canal Navigations in 1840) **Anglesey Branch **Birchills Branch ** Cannock Extension Canal **Daw End Branch Canal **Lord Hay's Branch (Lords Hayes Branch) (abandoned)


Linking canals

*
Coventry Canal The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England. It starts in Coventry and ends to the north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with th ...
(at
Fazeley Junction Fazeley Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the authorised Birmingham and Fazeley Canal terminates and meets the Coventry Canal at Fazeley, near Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. History The Coventry Canal was authorised by a ...
) *
Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
(connects at
Salford Junction Salford Junction () is the canal junction of the Grand Union and Tame Valley Canals with the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is in the north of the administrative city of Birmingham, England and historically marked a tripoint between two div ...
and also
Bordesley Junction Bordesley Junction () is a canal junction where the Grand Union Canal splits near to Bordesley, Birmingham, England. It opened in 1844, when the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal was built as part of a scheme to bypass the congestion at th ...
(originally
Warwick Bar The Warwick Bar conservation area is a conservation area in Birmingham, England which was home to many canalside factories during the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is named after the Warwick Bar and later ...
) * Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (at
Aldersley Junction Aldersley Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Birmingham Main Line Canal terminates and meets the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near to Oxley, north Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It opened in 1772. His ...
) * Stourbridge Canal * Worcester and Birmingham Canal (connects the BCN Main Line at the Worcester Bar, (alongside
Gas Street Basin Gas Street Basin () is a canal basin in the centre of Birmingham, England, where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal meets the BCN Main Line. It is located on Gas Street, off Broad Street, and between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace canal-side d ...
), southwards, to the River Severn at Worcester)


Associated features

*
Chasewater Chasewater is a reservoir located in the parish of Burntwood and the district of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. Originally known as Norton Pool and Cannock Chase Reservoir, it was created as a canal feeder reservoir in 1797. The reservoi ...
(feeds Wyrley and Essington Canal) *
Edgbaston Reservoir Edgbaston Reservoir, originally known as Rotton Park Reservoir and referred to in some early maps as Rock Pool Reservoir, is a canal feeder reservoir in Birmingham, England, maintained by the Canal & River Trust.Environment Agency public regist ...
, originally called Rotton Park Reservoir, itself fed from
Titford Reservoir The Titford Canal () is a narrow (7 foot) canal, a short branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) in Oldbury, West Midlands, England. Authorised under the ''Birmingham Canal Act 1768'' which created the original Birmingham Canal, ...
(feeds Birmingham Old and New Line)


Engineers

*
James Brindley James Brindley (1716 – 27 September 1772) was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th century. Early life Born i ...
*
Thomas Dadford Thomas Dadford Sr. (died 1809) was an English canal engineer as were his sons, Thomas Dadford Jr., John Dadford, and James Dadford. Biography Thomas Dadford probably originated from Stewponey or Stourton, Staffordshire, near Stourbridge. He ...
*
John Smeaton John Smeaton (8 June 1724 – 28 October 1792) was a British civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist. Smeaton was the fi ...
*
Thomas Telford Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...
* James Walker


Society

The BCN Society is a registered charity (number 1091760) formed in 1968, which exists to conserve, improve and encourage a wide range of interests in the BCN. It publishes a quarterly journal. ''Boundary Post''. From 1983, it erected signposts at most of the canal junctions on the BCN.


See also

*The Smethwick Engine *
Transport in Birmingham Birmingham is a major transport hub, due in part to its location in central England. The city is well connected by rail, road, and water. Public transport and key highways in the city are overseen by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM). Railw ...
* Stourport Ring


References

* (There was no second volume) * * * - canal maps and text * * * - Highly detailed printed 1:30,000 sheet map


External links


BCN Society

Jim Shead's website


* {{Authority control Transport in Wolverhampton Transport in Birmingham, West Midlands Canals in the West Midlands (county) Tourist attractions in Birmingham, West Midlands Works of Thomas Telford History of Birmingham, West Midlands