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Edgbaston - Gas Street Basin via Lee Bank
 
Church Road Edgbaston (Top)
 
Heading north-eastwards from Birmingham University, the Birmingham and Worcester Canal passes through Birmingham Research Park, skirts the western side of the Vale Student Village and then runs beneath Church Road through the Edgbaston Tunnels.

This part of Edgbaston is a conservation area that contains a largely intact Georgian suburb.

 
Map of Birmingham and Worcester Canal: Edgbaston - Gas Street (Top)
 

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This map shows the route of the Birmingham and Worcester Canal from the Edgbaston Tunnels to Gas Street Basin in the Westside area of central Birmingham.
 
Five Ways Station and Lee Bank (Top)
 

The Birmingham and Worcester Canal at Five Ways. original image Peter Whatley. Image (cropped and resized brumagem) licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 License

From Church Road, the canal continues alongside the Cross City Line, passing beneath St James Road before reaching Five Ways Railway Station at Islington Row on the Middle Ring Road.

The canal then skirts the Lee Bank housing estate, formerly one of the most deprived in Birmingham, which has been rebuilt as a mixed development of private and social housing known as Park Central.

Bath Row (Top)
 
Heading north-eastwards alongside the Cross-City Line, the canal then travels beneath Bath Row. The body of a dead man, aged around 60, was found floating near the Bath Row bridge on 07/11/10 (News Report 10/11/10)
 
 
 
 
Granville Wharf (Top)
 
Granville Wharf on the Birmingham and Worcester Canal. original image Roger Kiid. Image (cropped and resized brumagem) licensed for reuse udner the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 LicenseFrom Bath Row, the canal heads north-eastwards past the shops, offices, apartments and eateries at Granville Wharf.

It then travels beneath Granville Street and passes the new mixed-use development at the CUBE.

 
CUBE (Top)
 
Cube in Birmingham. original image Ell brown. Image (cropped and resized brumagem) licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License

The CUBE is a 70-metre office and apartment block with a golden anodised aluminium framework and a window pattern inspired by the video puzzle Tetris. The atrium contains shops, cafes and eateries and serves as a gateway between the wharves and surrounding streets.

From the CUBE, the canal makes a sharp ninety degree at the Mailbox in order to avoid the Birmingham Ridge.

 
Mailbox (Top)
 
Mailbox on Birmingham & Worcester Canal. original image copyright Carl Baker. Image (cropped and resized by Brummagen) licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License

The Mailbox is a mixed-use development that backs onto the canal at the point where it makes a sharp westwards turn towards Gas Street Basin.

Formerly the largest sorting office in the UK, the Mailbox has been rebuilt as offices, apartments, boutiques, restaurants, bars and BBC studios.

The retail and leisure units are mainly concentrated around the waterfront on Wharfside Street.

 
Holliday Street Aqueduct (Top)
 
Holliday Street. original image copyright P L Chadwick. Image (cropped and resized brumagem) licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 License

From the Mailbox, the canal passes beneath the Cross City Railway and then travels on this aqueduct above Holliday Street.

Much-loved by TV location scouts, the Holliday Aqueduct has featured in several dramas, most recently in an episode of the Survivors.

 
Gas Street Basin and Worcester Bar (Top)
 
Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. Original image Oosoom. Image (cropped and resized brumagem) licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 License

From Holliday Street, the canal enters Gas Street Basin and terminates at the Worcester Bar.

The bar, which is 75 metres long and 2.25 metres wide, was built to prevent water draining between the Birmingham and Worcester Canal on its east side and the Birmingham and Wolverhampton Canal on its west side.

Freight was physically carried across the bar until a lock was inserted in 1815. The bar is now a mooring for houseboats and is linked to Gas Street by a replica of an iron footbridge that was cast by the Horseley Ironworks in 1793. The brick wall and ramps leading from Gas Street to the basin date from 1802 and are grade 2 listed.

 
Tap and Spile (Top)
 
Tap and Spile in Birmingham. Original image Carl Baker. Image (cropped and resized brumagem) licensed for reuse under the creative commons Attribution Share Alike 2.0 License

The Tap & Spile at Gas Street basin is a traditional canal side pub that was built in brick with stone dressings in 1821.

The pub is on split levels: the lower level faces the towpath and the upper level is on Gas Street. Real ale and bar food are served.

 
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