Birmingham Canal Navigations

right|thumb|The start of the Birmingham Canal at [[Gas Street Basin, central Birmingham]]

thumb|right|Bridge over [[BCN Main Line|Birmingham Canal Old Main Line in Birmingham City Centre]]

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. It was owned and operated by the Birmingham Canal Navigation Company from 1767 to 1948. The first canal to be built in the area was the Birmingham Canal, authorised by the (8 Geo. 3. c. 38) and 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). It opened for business on 14 September 1772.

The (9 Geo. 3. c. 53) 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.

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.

Levels

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

OD, the Birmingham Level;
OD, the Wolverhampton Level;
OD, 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 OD, 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 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 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

thumb|right|[[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)

right|thumb|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

James Brindley
Thomas Dadford
John Smeaton
Thomas Telford
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.

Notes

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
1973 photographs