Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal
The Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal runs between Gas Street Basin in the Convention Quarter and Aldersley Junction in Wolverhampton.
It is in fact two canals:
The first, which is 36 kilometres long, was cut by James Brindley in 1768-1772. It is known as "Brindley's crooked ditch" since it follows a circuitous route through a series of loops that avoid higher ground. Three of these loops are in Birmingham.
The second canal was cut by Thomas Telford in the 1820's. It connected the loops on Brindley's canal and shortened the overall route by 8 kilometres.
Roughly 6.5 kilometres of Brindley's canal and 3.2 kilometres of Telford's canal are in Birmingham.
If you were to travel north-westwards along the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal from Gas Street Basin in the Convention Quarter to Winson Green Toll Island, you would pass the following landmarks:
Gas Street Basin in the Convention Quarter contains the junction of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal and the Birmingham and Worcester Canal.
These two canals are divided by the Worcester Bar which was built in 1793 in order to prevent water transference.
The bar is roughly 75 metres long and 2.25 metres wide. Cargo had to be physically carried across the bar until a lock was inserted in 1815.
The bar is now a mooring for houseboats; it is connected to Gas Street by a cast-iron replica of an 18th century footbridge made by the Horseley Ironworks.
The brick wall and ramps, which lead from Gas Street to the canal basin, were built in the early 1800's.
The basin is roughly 200 metres from the Mailbox to the east and the ICC, Brindleyplace and Broad Street to the west. Visitors can reach these destinations via the towpaths.
The basin features a traditional canal pub: the Tap & Stile (circa 1800).
Links: Guide Convention Quarter Canals
Heading westwards from Gas Street Basin, the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal passes under this bridge on Broad Street.
The building that stands on the bridge is a grade-two-listed red-brick Gothic warehouse (1875) designed by the architects Chamberlain and Martin.
The Regency Wharf, which features several bars and eateries, lies alongside the bridge.
Links: Guide Convention Quarter Canals
After passing beneath Broad Street, the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal runs between Waters Edge at Brindleyplace on its south bank and the International Convention Centre on its north bank. These attractions are linked by two footbridges.
Waters Edge contains bars, restaurants, art galleries and retail units. It is dominated by the Italianate tower of Three Brindleyplace.
Links: Guide Convention Quarter Canals
After Waters Edge, the canal reaches the Old Turn: a staggered junction. The north arm of the junction is the entrance to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal; the south arm is the eastern entrance to the Oozells Loop.
The National Indoor Arena and the Malt House Pub stand on opposite banks at the entrance to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. They are connected by a replica cast-iron 18th century footbridge.
The National Sealife Centre stands opposite the entrance to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, next to the eastern entrance of the Oozells Loop.
The junction contains a circular island (1940) that was installed during the Second World War to prevent flooding in the event of an air raid.
Links: Guide Convention Quarter Canals
Barges may enter the Oozells Loop at the National Sealife Centre.
The Oozells Loop is 570 metres long. The eastern and western entrances are both on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal. The distance between them is 320 metres.
The National Sealife Centre stands opposite the gated residential development of Symphony Court at the eastern entrance to the Oozells Loop which is spanned by a footbridge.
The loop continues past the Brindleyplace multi-storey car park which is connected to Symphony Court by a second footbridge.
The loop then passes under Sheepcote Street by the Crescent Theatre
, rounds the apartment blocks of Liberty Place and doubles back in a northerly direction, past King Edwards Wharf, before rejoining the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal.Links: Guide Convention Quarter Canals
If you ignored the Oozells Loop and stayed on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal, you would pass beneath Sheepcote Road which lies between the eastern and western entrances to the loop.
Saint Vincent Street Bridge
The western entrance to the Oozells Loop is by this bridge which carries Saint Vincent Street above the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal. It marks the boundary between the Convention Quarter and inner city Ladywood.
Links: Guide Convention Quarter Canals
After travelling westwards under Saint Vincent Street, the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal passes beneath Ladywood Middleway and runs alongside the West Coast Mainline.
It reaches the eastern entrance to the Icknield Loop at Sandy Turn, roughly 150 metres west of Ladywood Middleway.
Links: Guide Ladywood Canals
Barges may enter the eastern entrance of the Icknield Port Loop at Sandy Turn.
The Icknield Port Loop is 1.1 kilometres long. The eastern and western entrances are both on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal. The distance between them is 280 metres.
From Sandy Turn, the loop continues in a south-westerly direction for roughly 400 metres before passing under Icknield Port Road and rounding the Icknield Port wharves.
The loop then doubles back in a north-easterly direction, past a feeder channel from the Edgbaston Reservoir and beneath Icknield Port Road for a second time. It then rejoins the Mainline Canal at Rotton Park Junction, opposite the entrance to the Soho Loop.
Edgbaston Reservoir feeds water into the Icknield Port Loop. This reservoir was created by Thomas Telford in 1824-29. He enlarged and deepened a fish pond into which he channelled water from a stream dammed by an earth embankment.
The reservoir releases water via a leat into the loop. The supply is controlled by a winding gear that operates a sluice on the dam. The reservoir has a surface area of 80 acres, a maximum depth of 40 feet, and a circumference of 1.75 miles.
Links: Guide Ladywood Canals
If you leave Icknield Port Loop by its western entrance, you will arrive at Rotton Park Junction.
Rotton Park Junction is a crossroads on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal. The south channel is the western entrance of the Icknield Port Loop and the north channel is the eastern entrance to the Soho Loop.
Links: Guide Ladywood Canals
Barges may enter the eastern entrance to the Soho Loop at Rotton Park Junction
The Soho Loop is 1.1 miles long. The eastern and western entrances are on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal. They are is three quarters of a mile apart.
The eastern entrance is at Rotton Park Junction, opposite the western entrance to the Icknield Port Loop. From there, the loop continues in a northerly direction past the former site of Mathew Boulton's Soho Manufactory and beneath Spring Hill Bridge before meandering westwards past Hockley Port and rounding the campus of the City Hospital.
The loop then doubles back in a south-westerly direction past Lodge Road Cricket Ground and Winson Green Prison before travelling beneath the Outer Ring Road (A4040) and the West Coast Mainline and rejoining the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal at Winson Green Junction.
Links: Soho Winson Green Canals
Winson Green Stop is next to the roving bridge at Winson Green Junction. It is a former toll island on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal.
This now derelict island once marked the boundary between Birmingham and Smethwick. It restricted the canal to two narrow channels, enabling tolls to be collected from barges passing in either direction.
An octagonal toll house, which once stood on the island, was equipped with a gauge that could measure the waterline of passing barges in order to calculate the weight of their cargoes and the corresponding freight charges.
Links: Winson Green Canals
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