Ridgacre Branch Canal

Ridgacre Branch Canal

Strictly speaking the Ridgacre Branch is the section of canal which left the original Birmingham Canal near today's Ridgacre Pub. This branch led to the Dartmouth and Halford Branches both of which have been filled in. The Ridgacre itself remains in water but is cut off and isolated by the Black Country Route and these days the short section from the top of the Ryders Green Locks is commonly referred to at the Ridgacre. 

This was possibly the last time the Ridgacre was cruised back in 1997 (Kev Maslin)

Ridgacre East (with Harford Branch)


Ridgacre west


Arm into gasworks 1974 (Hugh Potter)

Gasworks Arm 1966 Ian Huselbee

Swan Gasworks 1966 Ian Huselbee

Swan Village gasworks


Aerial view of Swan Village Gasworks

Swan Village Gasworks

East of Gasworks 1966 Ian Huselbee

East of Gasworks 1966 Ian Huselbee






Cast iron bridge 1974 (Hugh Potter)


Beneath railway Bridge 1974 (Hugh Potter)

Black Lake Bridge from Railway Bridge 1993 by Kev Maslin

Black Lake Bridge 1977 (Keith Hodgkins)


Black Lake Bridge 1974 (Hugh Potter)

East from Black Lake Bridge 1977 (Keith Hodgkins)

Halford Junction on Ridgacre Branch 1970 - Hugh Potter

Davies Colliery Bridge (NW corner) - Sandwell Archive

Davies Colliery Bridge 1956 - Sandwell Archive


Ridgacre Branch beyond Black Lane 1974 (Hugh Potter)

Arthur Farrand Radley 1984

End of Ridgacre Branch 1974 (Hugh Potter)

1993 Kev Maslin


Ridgacre 1992 (Vic Smallshire)

Ridgacre terminus 1977 (Keith Hodgkins)

Junction of Ridgacre and Halford Branches 1952

Click here to return to the Ridgacre Area index page

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).