Jump to content

Factory Tunnel

FredW

By FredW
in General Boating

 Share

Featured Posts

FredW Contributor

FredW

Posted
Posted

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me please.

Whilst cruising the Birmingham & Fazeley canal recently,we passed under a factory built over the canal. In Nicholsons it's referred to as Factory Tunnel but with no other info. A search of Google doesn't give any info either. I emailed the BCN Society,but to date have not had a reply. I asked a guy working for C&RT and he said he'd delivered coal to the factory and said that they called it Berlick but wasn't sure of the spelling. Googling various spellings of Berlick didn't get me anywhere. Birmingham Library has all it's reference books packed away & the Museum has very little about the canals & couldn't help. This is driving me nuts so I wonder if anyone here could shed some light on why this factory was built,what was made there,or any other relevant information. I am asking purely out of curiosity as I find canal side buildings fascinating. Thanks in advance,

Fred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MoominPapa Veteran II

MoominPapa

Posted
Posted

Google "factory over canal tyburn road" got me to this:

 

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=187-cr1590&cid=6-1-6-51#6-1-6-51

 

Which has:

 

B.I.P. Tools Ltd., Tyburn Rd.: new canteen over canal. CR1590/1199 1958-61

 

So now at least we have a timescale, what the building is for, and the name of the company.

 

MP.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FredW Contributor

FredW

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi,

Thanks for what you've suggested so far. Googled B.I.P.tools & got British Industrial Plastics.

Thanks again,I'm on my iPhone,will research some more when I get the laptop.

Fred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted (edited)

Not convinced on the "British Industrial Plastics" answer, because a bit of Googling tends to give you stuff about a single storey building, which I'm struggling to see that massive building as.

 

Could be wrong though!

 

The impression I have always had, (and I actualy find the thing a bit spooky!), is that it is just a building that for some reason was allowed to be built over the canal at a time when canals were not considered very important, and you could do that kind of thing. Not a million miles different from the way, for example, that much of the Farmer's Bridge flight has stuff built straight over everything.

 

What you pass under are just concrete floors, I think, and I don't really see any evidence that it was built over the canal to actually make use of the canal for any kind of transport.

 

But again could be wrong, though.

 

The impression from images on Google Maps is that it is probably an out of use building.....

 

Linky 1

 

Linky 2

 

I now expect a post from someone telling me they work in there!

Edited by alan_fincher
Link to comment
Share on other sites
trackman Proficient

trackman

Posted
Posted

There are IIRC mooring rings under there on the offside. There also appear to me to be blocked up apertures in the wall on that side, and I've always believed that boats must have delivered and/or loaded under there at some past date.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

There are IIRC mooring rings under there on the offside. There also appear to me to be blocked up apertures in the wall on that side, and I've always believed that boats must have delivered and/or loaded under there at some past date.

Yes, you are right.

 

That fuzzy YouTube video does show at least one highly pixelated patch on the wall that may have related to loading, or unloading something from boats.

 

I guess little commercial canal traffic was passing that way much later than about the mid 1960s though, and the structure never "feels" particularly old, so is it "old enough"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nicknorman Veteran II

nicknormanDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

Yes, you are right.

 

That fuzzy YouTube video does show at least one highly pixelated patch on the wall that may have related to loading, or unloading something from boats.

 

I guess little commercial canal traffic was passing that way much later than about the mid 1960s though, and the structure never "feels" particularly old, so is it "old enough"?

The satellite view shows several long parallel structures, of which the one over the canal is the end one. Therefore there could be a hole in the wall for delivery to the adjacent building, in use before the structure over the canal was built. Ill have a closer look next time we pass.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
trackman Proficient

trackman

Posted
Posted

A concrete structure like this one could easily date back to to the thirties.

What we love about that stretch is though it's so grotty, and Troutpool and New Troutpool bridges seem so misnamed, we've often seen kingfishers around there, once actually under this structure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
nicknorman Veteran II

nicknormanDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

A concrete structure like this one could easily date back to to the thirties.

 

Yes, however I am pretty sure I remember it being quite different when I first did it in the 70s - much more ramshackle.

 

Yes, its certainly not the worst part of the B&F!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

In No. 1, Tom Foxon describes this factory as the Birlec. He talks of spending the night there in the dark after running aground and having to wait for another boat to pull him off.

 

Link to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birlec

 

Regards

Pete

384px-Im1936MWHB-Birlec.jpg

 

396px-Im194608MSM-Birlec.jpg

 

231px-Im194711AE-Birlec.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TNC Collaborator

TNC

Posted
Posted

When were those taken?

The first three 20/08/2011

The last one 22/03/2004

I only posted these as they are better quality than others I have and show the mooring hooks and loading bays.

From the I970's I don't remember it looking any different....unlike the Aston Flight!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FredW Contributor

FredW

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi again,

Thank you all for the information so far,I couldn't get on here before 'cos Wetherspoons called last night

and I've been out all day.I intend to get down to the Tunnel over the next couple of days and have a look

"off the boat" by walking a friends dog.I have to admit I didn't pay a lot of attention as I passed through

on the boat so this time I can look at details.The name Birlec corresponds to that given by the C&RT guy so

there has to be somewhere that coal could be unloaded.Thanks also for the link to Graces Guide,that could

help in future searches about derelict industrial buildings.It may be sad but such things fascinate me.

Fred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.