Where I am

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Yes, the original termini. 
Interesting to see how far into Town they went. 
If still in existence they’d save much of the walk to the Town Hall and the Post Office Vaults. 
 

 

From Cambrain Wharf it was the Newhall Branch. 

Here’s one I need help with. 
 

I’ll tell show you where I am below but I don’t know what I am looking at above.
 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by Goliath

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Right ! Ive just found the answer!

[David Mack]

That's the feeder channel that runs from half way up the Rotten Park Reservoir dam to the end of the Engine Branch. There's a section in open channel that runs along the south side of the New Main Line in the Winson Green area, and on embankment across the Cape Loop.

It has been disused for some years, but I can remember it was full of water in the 70s/80s.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

That’s interesting. 
That photo of mine was across the Cape loop. That’s why I got off, simply to climb the bank and see the other side. 
 

I was gonna put the stern into the entrance of the loop. But bottled out. 

[David Mack]

4 hours ago, David Mack said:

They are the furthest you can now get along the two original terminal branches of the Birmingham Canal.

No. The Gas Street branch ended up in twin arms the other side of Bridge Street, with the BCN headquarters building beyond fronting onto Paradise Street. From Cambrian Basin there were various arms and branches.

Map extract from the BCN Society website.

 

 

Edited May 10, 2023 by David Mack

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I didn’t realise they came as 

close to each other as they did. 
But of course the Baskerville basins are down a lock. 
So the town was being fed coal on two levels. 

At the Baskerville Basins below and the Old Wharf and the Bloomfield & Newhall Wharfs above. 
The Baskerville Basins would have been down on todays Paradise Street Queensway below Baskerville House ?

 And the old wharf above Suffolk Street Queensway?

Am I close?

I need to work it out properly. 
Fascinating stuff. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I got it wrong (again) of course:the lock went UP to the Basins and the Birmingham Rep is built on the site of the Basins. 

from “The Other Sixty Miles”

 

[Pluto]

The Birmingham Canal offices and coal wharfs feature on the frontis to Hogrewe's 1780 book on English canal, a translation of which I expect to publish soon. There is also a plan in Maillard's book which I translated a couple of years ago (see below), so they seem to have made an impression on foreign visitors. The wharves Maillard planned in Vienna for the Wiener Neustadt Kanal seem to have been based on what he saw in Birmingham in 1795.

[David Mack]

43 minutes ago, Goliath said:

and the Birmingham Rep is built on the site of the Basins. 

Baskerville House is on the site of Baskerville Basin with the Hall of Memory on Easy Row Wharf. The new Birmingham Library is built over the Gibsons Arm, and the Rep Theatre is beyond the end of the arm.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

 Thanks,

I’ve been boating all day and trying to juggle a few things at same time. 
8 hrs from Town to Tipton. 
Dawdling along, drawing/sketching, taking photos and looking down arms. Climbing embankments and looking for things I don’t think’ve noticed before. 
 

Now to try and make further sense of it. Maps and books out for the evening. 
 

Can’t rush along the BCN 👍

[Captain Pegg]

28 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Baskerville House is on the site of Baskerville Basin with the Hall of Memory on Easy Row Wharf. The new Birmingham Library is built over the Gibsons Arm, and the Rep Theatre is beyond the end of the arm.

 

I've worked in Alpha Tower and Baskerville House, amongst various other office buildings in Birmingham, and broadly they sit on top of each of the Birmingham terminuses. They are also separated by not much more than the width of Broad Street, and few feet in height.

 

Does the Mailbox cover part of the former Salvage wharf?

[Heartland]

Oh Gawd Hammer Toes

 

The Original BCN terminus was by a turnpike, not far from Cambrian Wharf. Charles Colmore managed (by act of parliament) to arrange for the extension of this canal from there across an aqueduct to the terminus in Newhall Street (originally called Newhall Ring). This section of canal became known as the Newhall Branch

The Branch to Brick kiln Piece came into being through James Brindley pursuing his plans for the BCN and this second branch terminated, as said, at the twin Basin at Paradise Street. The Gibson Arm came later and joined the Newhall Branch on the east side of Crescent Wharf. The Gibsons Branch passed under Cambridge Street and needed a lock (and a stationary steam engine back pumping water) to reach the higher level that served the twin basin, Gibsons and Bakerville.

The Paradise Street branch passed through the Deep Cutting, under Broad Street, and then curved around to pass under Bridge Street. There was a basin that was later built under a road that was later called Gas Street, This basin originally served the Birmingham Timber Co Wharf. This basin was later extended under Berkeley St towards Granville Street, There were other side basins, one served canal carriers depots facing Broad Street) and the other was associated with Limekilns near Bridge Street Bridge.

Worcester Bar initially segregated the Worcester & Birmingham Canal from the BCN. The W & B Canal was also joined by a side branch that went under Gas Street to serve the Gas Works and later this arm was extended under Berkeley Street and was on a parallel route to the one that initially served the Timber Co. To complicate matters the Dudley Canal Company under the title of the Netherton Coal Company were responsible for the construction of this second branch under Gas Street. So in reality in this small area there were 3 canal companies and a private canal arm

The Branch to the what is now the Mailbox was part of Worcester Wharf and served Timber Yards and a public wharf

[Francis Herne]

12 hours ago, Goliath said:

 

I was gonna put the stern into the entrance of the loop. But bottled out. 

There's plenty of water until the far end of the tunnel. Bow first is a lot safer though - as Michael S-K demonstrated the other week on the Fens Branch, knocked Shorelark's rudder out of the cup trying to reverse up.

 

Unfortunately the next culvert's too low (and the arm is too silted up) for a narrowboat, but with a small craft you can get to the new hospital:

 

and then what's left of the junction and branch arm at the end.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Ok, back to Heartlands Aquaduct;

 

this is todays view;

 

 

No evidence I can see of any remains/reminders of an Aquaduct. 
But if you were to walk up on the right a newly Tarmaced path takes you along side what is clearly the filled in canal, and where trees and bluebells now live. 

All walks lead to the pub. In this pub I met a Tipton man whose friend has written many books.

 

 

 

[David Mack]

Do we know when it was demolished?

[Heartland]

Sound loik Goliath met John Nicklin oo used to werk for Horseley Bridge!

 

If it was John I hope he told you about the "Lost City" !

 

 

Edited May 11, 2023 by Heartland

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

13 minutes ago, Heartland said:

Sound loik Goliath met John Nicklin oo used to werk for Horseley Bridge!

 

If it was John I hope he told you about the "Lost City" !

 

 

Yes it was,

“John Yam Yam” was what he introduced himself as. 

No, he didn’t mention lost city, 

but he has given me an idea for tomorrow’s local task. 
 

[Heartland]

You now have to work out where the "Lost City" was, or is, because it is still there. It had the distinction of being surrounded by canals at one time.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I reckon I could stab a good guess at that but I’m gonna hold up on it.

I’ll make my thrust when I’m ready.  

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Ok, I thought it was going to Bilston.

but it’s not

 

There is a short YouTube film explaining it.

I watched a little to get the very gist of where it is but as usual with YouTube films I find it hard to maintain interest.

And it froze.

I’d rather hear the story from John, so another visit to the pub is called for. 
 

Now, if I were to go the King’s Arms would I be pretty much central in the Lost City?

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Right Heartland, 

I went back to see John and ask him. 
He did tell me the story and a few locals obviously knew about it too. 
 

But I’m vague about it. 

I think I now know it’s a small area that includes Ocker Hill but is known to be in Tipton. 
I think it’s called lost because there is/was only one way in and out. 
You could only enter and leave by one route that involved crossing over (or under ?) the canal. 
It’s an estate. 
And  not sure if John said it was the Moat Estate? Moat Estate because it was surrounded by water. 

[springy]

Could be here, between Wednesbury Oak Branch, Ocker Hill Branch and LNWR Princes End Branch - Moat Farm and Moat Colliery

 

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.54237&lon=-2.05376&layers=168&b=1

 

 

springy

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

That’ll be it!

Moat Farm.

Nice one, cheers Springy👍

[Heartland]

I think that you have got close to it and I also have come to believe that the area boundaries can be vague, but it was a colliery area including Moat Farm which became a housing estate. The BCN Old Main Line, basins, and branches formed the perimeter, and yes as John states access to the estate was limited.

 

It is a fascinating piece of local history.

 

 

[Heartland]

Now, this was a public house, it has gone now but where was it and what connection did the proprietor have with canals?