December 2019
I have been out and about again with my Go Pro, this time exploring the line of the abandoned Anson Branch Canal.
Technically, this is a branch of the Walsall Canal, but as the Bentley linked into and used the last half mile, it seemed appropriate to include it in my hunt for the abandoned branches of the Wyrley and Essington.
It's funny what you turn up in the research for these videos. I figured that this was just another little branch built to reach another coal field but in the event there was much more to this waterway, bisected by the construction of Junction 10 of the M6.
Not only did I find myself looking at the collieries in the Reedswood area of Walsall, I also found myself in a quarry with links to the Giants Causeway and Noddy Holder, plus gaining an understanding of how the canal was an essential element of the mighty Birchills power station which stood on the site of todays Sainsburys.
Link to The 20 minute Anson Branch YouTube video
