glad to see the towpath has been replaced.. There is a section between the dudleu tunnel going towards coronation gardens, there is what looks lke a bridge parapet but does not show on any maps, leasowe road was built on the land,,
I've cycled many times between Wolverhampton and Brum following brindleys and Telfords canals and also through the netherton tunnel to bumble hole and on to Brierly hill and further.
a old school m8 of mine in the 1960s his grandad used to have building maps from early canals and basin cuts around tipton and dudley, his family were drafftsmen and navigaters for the early canals he moved away in the 70s shame should have got him to copy the maps ,i know a set are in bham ref libery
The area by the Dudley Port Road and the Pure Gym there was a factory that was dismantling unused weapons from WW1 and the boys would dump the gunpowder into the cut! The factory did blow up known as the ''Dudley Port Explosion'' killing 19 girls between the age of 13 - 15 who worked there
Thanks Andy. As someone who’s lived near & played/cycled on the canals in this area all my life, I’ve loved this series so far. Especially this one.Indeed, I nearly drowned in the canal at Coronation gardens when I was about 6. Right under the bridge where you restarted & the old pic was put in. I used to live in New Cross st, about 30 ft from the bit that’s filled in. I used to walk along the old canal line on my way to school. One question - I’ve always noticed that a lot of this canal only has a tow path on one side. Any idea why?
Ned - the Brindley canal only had one towpath which is usual across the country. Telford's new canal was built to a much higher standard and included paths on both sides to let horse drawn boats pass without crossing towing lines.
I used to volunteer at Factory locks on a narrow boat taking disabled & under Privileged kids on trips along the canal in the school holidays. Mainly along the way you came as far as Spon Lane. The man who ran the boat was a reverend called Tom. I have no other information about him. He looked like Father Christmas & was a lovely man. He saw potential in me & used to let me take charge of the boat. Did you ever hear about or come across him?
Well done, Andy, another great video. I must say, your old b/w photos that show snow on the ground, really make it look cold. They make me feel sorry for the boaters that had to work through it all. Glad it was them and not me!
It does look very chilly. The chaps looking into the lock at the bottom end were, I believe, looking as a frogman tryig to clear the gate. He failed, driven out by the cold.
Fascinating series, love it. I parked up at Tipton Station last year to finish cycling my last part of the entire Birmingham canal system, but it's only after watching this, and doing a little research, I found out there is an old lock in which the footpath passes, a few hundred yards from coronation gardens... Never mind, maybe next time.
I love taking my narrowboat through that area. Although getting wedged in Factory Lock No 1, for 25 hours was not much fun. Thanks for another great video.
