Tame Valley Canal
November 2015
The 8.5 mile Tame Valley Canal was a late addition to the region's canal scape, built in 1844 partly to offer a bypass round the congested city centre route to the Black Country, and partly to prevent any rival canal company constructing a rival waterway into what they saw as BCN territory.
It was built with money borrowed from the Bank of England and whilst it was an engineering triumph to rival the Shropshire Union Canal with its soaring embankments and deep cuttings. It never really lived up to its expectations in terms of traffic volumes, at least till the lower part of it was used to carry vast volumes of coal from the Cannock Coalfield to the industries of eastern Birmingham during the first half of the 20th century.
Over time I keep coming across archive photos of this obscure waterway and in particular those of H E Evans taken in the early 1960's, just after the commercial carrying era had ended. This collection is contained in Canal And River Trust's National Waterways Archive in Ellesmere Port and my thanks go to them for preserving an unusually comprehensive collection of BCN related images.
The following images document the Tame Valley Canal from its Junction with the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal to the east with the Walsall Canal in the west.
Tame Valley Canal viewed from Salford Bridge on 18.9.57 before the M6 was built. Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Hospital Berth at Witton Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Willow Wren Boats moored at Witton on 10.12.1961 Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Aston Well pumping station (not canal) in 10.12.61 Built in 1867 and operational till 1932 - demolished in 1967 during the construction of the M6 motorway
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Approaching GEC from Salford Bridge on 3.12.61
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Lichfield to Aston railway bridge 3.12.61
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
GEC Works at Witton with Telpher Crane 3.12.61 Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Perry Barr Bottom Lock with BCN cottages and pumping station Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Lock Cottages at College Road Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
BCN Cottages and lock at College Road
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Perry Barr Top Lock
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Spouthouse Lane Aqueduct at Hampstead
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Rushall / Newton Junction
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Aqueduct over Wolverhampton / Aston rail line 25.8.1963
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Tame Valley from Balls Hill Bridge10.12.61 Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Canal Cottages at Holloway Bradge 25.8.63
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Jones Bridge (Rail) at Golds Hill 25.8.63
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Northern end of Danks Branch crossing Tame Valley Canal 25.8.63 Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
BCN Cottages at Golds Hill 10.12.61
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Ocker Hill Power Station from Golds Hill 10.12.61
Source H E Evans - courtesy of CRT's National Waterways Archive
Tame Valley Junction with the Walsall Canal 10.12.61
Source H E Evans courtesy of CRT's national waterways Archive
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).
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