Parkhead Basin

Parkhead Basin

Now Parkhead Basin is not a lost canal, but for many years it was as abandoned as the network of canals which surround it.

It is the node for the Grazebrook Arm, the Pensnett Canal, the Dudley Tunnel and for a while was the terminus for the original Dudley No1 Canal.

Parkhead Basin from the air 1934

Parkhead and Blowers Green 1950's - DCT Archive

Parkhead Locks 1971 by Dickie Bird

Parkhead Basin (David Morris)

Vic Smallshire

Parkhead Basin with the Pensnett Branch - Vic Smallshire

Parkhead - Vic Smallshire

1971 by Dickie Bird

1965

Early Parkhead rally following Restoration - BCNS Archive

It saw a huge surge of restoration activity in the 1970's and whilst it can still be accessed from Blowers Green via the three Parkhead Locks, it sees very few boats. 

In some ways it is the ultimate BCN backwater and the photos of its restoration deserve a page of their own.

Parkhead Locks

Entrance to Grazebrook Arm

Restoring the locks in the 1970's

Parkhead with Pensnett in the foreground

Mucking in with the restoration

Bottom Lock

Parkhead Stop Lock and tunnel entrance 1952

1972 by Dickie Bird

The above photos have been assembled from various sources, including those freely found on the internet. My thanks go to the many photographers alive and dead who have contributed to this collection and in so doing, are keeping the memory of these lost canals alive. These images are reproduced for ease of research are are not necessarily the property of this blog, and as such should not be used for commercial gain without the explicit permission of the owner (whoever that may be).