The canal was first cut by James Brindley in 1768-72; his route was 22.5 miles long and included a series of loops that avoided higher ground.

In the 1820's Thomas Telford straightened Brindley's canal, which he contemptuously referred to as "that crooked ditch", and by doing so shortened the route by 5 miles.

Roughly two miles of Telford's straightened canal and 4 miles of Brindley's loops run through Birmingham.

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This map only shows the route of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal through Birmingham and not beyond to Wolverhampton.

The Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal begins at its junction with the Birmingham and Worcester Canal at the Worcester Bar in Gas Street Basin.

The Worcester Bar was built in 1793 in order to prevent water draining between these two canals which were owned by different companies.

Until a stop lock was inserted in 1815, cargo had to be carried by hand across the bar which is 75 metres long and 2.25 metres wide. Nowadays the lock gates are left permanently open.

The bar, which serves as a mooring for houseboats, is connected to Gas Street by a replica cast-iron 18th century footbridge. The ramps and brick walls leading from Gas Street to the canal basin date from the early 1800's and are grade two listed.

The Tap and Spile is a traditional canal side pub that was built on Gas Street in 1821.

The rear entrance to the pub, which is grade two listed, is on the towpath at Gas Street Basin.

Heading westwards from Gas Street Basin, the canal passes under this red-brick Gothic warehouse on Broad Street that was built by Chamberlain and Martin in 1875.

The Regency Wharf, lined by bars and eateries, lies alongside Broad Street.

From Broad Street, the canal continues westwards past the International Convention Centre on its north bank and Waters Edge at Brindleyplace on its south bank. Two footbridges link these attractions.

Waters Edge is lined by shops, bars, restaurants and art galleries. The landmark Italianate tower of Three Brindleyplace dominates the wharf.
 

Having passed Waters Edge, the canal reaches the Old Turn which is a staggered canal crossroads with a circular island (1940) that enabled anti-flood dams to be built during the Birmingham Blitz

Barges arriving at the Old Turn may turn north into the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal or south into the eastern entrance of the Oozells Loop or continue westwards on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal.

Major landmarks at the Old Turn Junction include the National Indoor Arena which stands at the corner of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

 In November 2010, architects were commissioned to redesign the arena and, in particular, to create a new spectacular waterfront entrance (News Archive 18/11/10).

The Malt House pub is another major landmark at the Old Turn Junction.

It faces the National Indoor Arena on the opposite corner of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. These two attractions are connected by a replica 18th century cast-iron footbridge.

The National Sealife Centre is another major landmark at the Old Turn Junction.

It stands at the entrance to the Oozells Loop on the south bank of the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal, opposite the National Indoor Arena and the Malt House pub on the north bank.

The National Sealife Centre is connected by a footbridge to the National Indoor Arena.

The Oozells Loop is a remnant of the original canal surveyed by James Brindley in the 1760's. When Thomas Telford straightened Brindley's canal in the 1820's, he kept the loop because it served several factories. The loop is 570 metres long; its eastern and western entrances are 320 metres apart.

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From there, the loop continues through Brindleyplace and past a multi-storey car park connected to Symphony Court by a second footbridge.

The loop then travels beneath Sheepcote Street, past the Crescent Theatre and Liberty Place apartment blocks before rounding King Edwards Wharf and rejoining the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal.

Barges that avoid the Oozells Loop and continue westwards on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal will pass beneath a second bridge on Sheepcote Street before arriving at Saint Vincent Street

The western entrance to the Oozells Loop is by this bridge which carries Saint Vincent Street above the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal.

The bridge serves as an  (unofficial) boundary between the Westside area of central Birmingham and the inner city area of Ladywood.