Birmingham Canal Navigations

The start of the Birmingham Canal at Gas Street Basin, central Birmingham

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.

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

BCN Network (within shaded area) from historical map, 1864

Birmingham Canal Company offices fronting Paradise Street. They backed onto the Old Wharf terminus.

The first canal to be built in the area was the Birmingham Canal, built from 1768 to 1772 under the supervision of James Brindley 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 to meet the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Aldersley (north of Wolverhampton).

The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, 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 known as the Birmingham Canal Navigations from 1794, as the network was expanded.

Levels

Main article: Water levels of the Birmingham Canal Navigations

The BCN is built on three main levels, each with its own reservoirs.

453 feet (138 m) O.D., the Birmingham Level;
473 feet (144 m) O.D., the Wolverhampton Level;
408 feet (124 m) O.D., the Walsall Level

These levels are linked by locks at various places on the network.

There are also stretches on their own levels.

The Titford Canal and its branches were built at 511 feet (156 m) O.D., linked to the Titford Reservoir (Titford Pool). A feeder supplies water to the Edgbaston Reservoir.
A short section of the BCN Old Main Line, at Smethwick Summit, was built at 491 feet (150 m) O.D.. 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 designed a scheme where it was lowered by 18 feet (5.5 m) 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

Fingerpost at Old Turn Junction, where the BCN Main Line meets the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal

BCN Main Line (originally known as the Birmingham Canal) from Aldersley Junction (north of Wolverhampton) to Gas Street Basin (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 towpathed, largely progressing in straight lines using cuttings and tunnels.
Bentley Canal (abandoned)
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal (from Old Turn Junction (by the National Indoor Arena), eastwards to the Coventry Canal at Fazeley Junction, and thence north-west as far as bridge 78.)
- Digbeth Branch Canal
Bradley Locks Branch
Dudley Canal
- Bumble Hole Branch Canal (part of a bypassed loop)
- Dudley Canal Line No 1 (see also Dudley Tunnel)
- Dudley Canal Line No 2 (about half dewatered; see also Lapal Tunnel; Netherton Reservoir)
- The Two Locks Line (infilled)
The Engine Arm
Gower Branch Canal - linking the Birmingham and Wolverhampton levels, via three locks, at Tividale.
Icknield Port Loop (part of the Old Main Line cut off by Telford's improvements, now serving as a feeder from Edgbaston Reservoir)
Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal
Rushall Canal
Soho Loop (an old circuitous route cut off by Telford's improvements, originally with a branch, the Soho Branch to Soho Wharf, serving the Soho Manufactory)
Spon Lane Locks Branch (between Bromford Junction and Spon Lane Junction 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
Tame Valley Canal (a later canal cutting off some northern meanders)
Walsall Canal (a more modern canal connecting the main line with Walsall and forming a big northern loop with the Wyrley and Essington Canal)
- Anson Branch
- 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
Wyrley and Essington Canal (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)

BCN branded paddle gear on the Walsall Canal

Linking canals

Coventry Canal (at Fazeley Junction)
Grand Union Canal (connects at Salford Junction and also Bordesley Junction (originally Warwick Bar)
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (at Aldersley Junction)
Stourbridge Canal
Worcester and Birmingham Canal (connects the BCN Main Line at the Worcester Bar, (alongside Gas Street Basin), southwards, to the River Severn at Worcester)

Associated features

Chasewater (feeds Wyrley and Essington Canal)
Edgbaston Reservoir, originally called Rotton Park Reservoir, itself fed from Titford Reservoir (feeds Birmingham Old and New Line)

Engineers

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.

References

Broadbridge, S. R. (1974). The Birmingham Canal Navigations, Vol. 1 1768 - 1846. David & Charles. ISBN 0-7509-2077-7. (There was no second volume)
Foster, Richard (1990). Birmingham New Street. The Story of a Great Station Including Curzon Street. 1 Background and Beginnings. The Years up to 1860. Wild Swan Publications. ISBN 0-906867-78-9.
Hadfield, Charles (1969). The Canals of the West Midlands (Second ed.). David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-4660-1.
Pearson, Michael (1989). Canal Companion - Birmingham Canal Navigations. J. M. Pearson & Associates. ISBN 0-907864-49-X. - canal maps and text
Perrott,David; Mosse,Jonathan (2006). Nicholson Waterways Guide 3 - Birmingham & the Heart of England. Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-721111-1.
Shill, Ray (2000). Birmingham's Canals. Sutton Publishing.
Birmingham Canal Navigations. GEOprojects. 2004. ISBN 0-86351-172-4. - Highly detailed printed 1:30,000 sheet map

External links

Birmingham Canal Navigations

Navigable	BCN Main Line Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Bumble Hole Branch Canal Cannock Extension Canal Digbeth Branch Canal Dudley Canal Engine Arm Gower Branch Canal Icknield Port Loop Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal Rushall Canal Soho Loop Spon Lane Locks Branch Tame Valley Canal Titford Canal Walsall Canal Wednesbury Oak Loop Wednesbury Old Canal Wyrley and Essington Canal

Unnavigable	Anson Branch Bentley Canal Bradley Branch Lichfield Canal Ridgacre Branch Tipton Green and Toll End Canals

Junctions	Aldersley Junction Aston Junction Birchills Junction Bromford Junction Catshill Junction Fazeley Junction Horseley Fields Junction Huddlesford Junction Ogley Junction Old Turn Junction Pelsall Junction Rumer Hill Junction Rushall Junction Salford Junction Smethwick Junction Spon Lane Junction Tame Valley Junction

Reservoirs	Chasewater Edgbaston Reservoir Netherton Reservoir

Tunnels	Dudley Tunnel Lapal Tunnel

Aqueducts	Engine Arm Aqueduct Stewart Aqueduct

Bridges and viaducts	Galton Bridge Parkhead Viaduct

Pumping stations	Smethwick Engine

Locks	Delph Locks

Basins	Gas Street Basin

Adjoining canals	Coventry Canal Grand Union Canal Pensnett Canal Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Stourbridge Canal Worcester and Birmingham Canal

Other	Water levels of the Birmingham Canal Navigations

Navigable canals of the United Kingdom

England	Aire and Calder¹ Ashby-de-la-Zouch² Ashton Beverley Beck Birmingham Canal Navigations³ Bridgewater Bridgwater and Taunton Bude² Calder and Hebble¹ Cambridgeshire Lodes³ Chelmer and Blackwater¹ Chesterfield² Chichester² Coventry Driffield Droitwich Erewash Foss Dyke Gloucester and Sharpness Grand Union³ Grand Western² Grantham² Herefordshire and Gloucestershire² Hollinwood Branch² Huddersfield Broad Huddersfield Narrow Ipswich and Stowmarket¹² Kennet and Avon Lancaster² Leeds and Liverpool³ Limehouse Llangollen Lydney Macclesfield Manchester Bolton & Bury² Manchester Ship Canal Market Weighton² Middle Level Navigations³ Montgomery² North Walsham & Dilham¹² Nottingham² Oxford¹ Peak Forest Pocklington² Regent's Canal Ribble Link¹ Ripon River Lee Navigation¹ Rochdale Royal Military Canal Sankey² Selby Sheffield and South Yorkshire¹³ Shropshire Union³ Sleaford¹² South Forty-Foot Drain Staffordshire and Worcestershire Stort¹ Stourbridge Stratford-upon-Avon Stroudwater² Thames and Medway² Thames and Severn² Trent and Mersey³ Weaver¹ Wey and Arun² Wey and Godalming¹ Wilts & Berks² Witham Navigable Drains³ Worcester and Birmingham

Northern Ireland	Broharris Canal Coalisland Canal Dukart's Canal Lagan Canal Newry Canal Shannon–Erne Waterway Strabane Canal Ulster Canal

Scotland	Caledonian Canal¹ Crinan Canal Forth and Clyde Union Canal

Wales	Llangollen Canal Monmouthshire and Brecon² Montgomery Canal² Neath and Tennant² Swansea Canal²

Features	Aqueducts (list) Basins Locks Rings Tunnels (list) Winding holes

Related topics	British Waterways Canal & River Trust Scottish Canals History of the British canal system Narrowboats National Waterways Museum Navigable aqueduct Waterways Ireland

Notes: ¹ Contains canalised river. ² Partly or mostly navigable, and/or under restoration. ³ A system of canals. Canals which form part of this system are not listed here individually.

Ceremonial county of West Midlands

Metropolitan districts	City of Birmingham City of Coventry City of Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough of Dudley Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough of Solihull Metropolitan Borough of Walsall

Major settlements	Aldridge Bilston Birmingham Blackheath Bloxwich Brierley Hill Brownhills Coventry Cradley Heath Darlaston Dudley Fordbridge Halesowen Oldbury Rowley Regis Smethwick Solihull Stourbridge Sutton Coldfield Tipton Walsall Wednesbury West Bromwich Willenhall Wolverhampton See also: West Midlands

Rivers	River Blythe River Cole River Penk River Rea Smestow Brook River Sherbourne River Sow River Sowe River Stour River Tame

Canals	Birmingham Canal Navigations Shropshire Union Canal Staffordshire & Worcestershire Worcester & Birmingham

Topics	Places Parliamentary constituencies SSSIs Country houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings Conservation areas History Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs Museums Black Country Birmingham Airport Centro Coventry/Bedworth Urban Area West Midlands conurbation West Midlands Combined Authority

Coordinates: 52°28′39″N 1°54′32″W / 52.4776°N 1.9088°W / 52.4776; -1.9088

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