Friday 24 April 2020

Bradley Locks Branch - Upper End

Bradley Locks Branch - Upper End
April 2020

The Bradley Locks Branch was the realisation of two phases of canal building in the area, with the bottom three locks built in 1798 from Moorcroft Junction to Bradley Hall Colliery.  Later another six locks to reach the Wolverhampton Level at the Rotton Brunt Shortening which cut off the long Wednesbury Oak Loop.

The Bradley Locks Branch was abandoned in 1961, at the same time as the canal above was abandoned.



Bradley Junction 1949


Bradley Locks 1-6 1950's - perhaps the most iconic image of this flight (HNBC -P Weaver Collection)

 Bradley Top Lock - Brian Beagley 1960


Ariel View of Locks 1 - 6 with Willingsworth Branch to bottom left


Top Lock Cottage


Bradley Locks 1-6 1960's

Bradley Locks 2 to 6 1956 (TW King)


Bradley Locks 1-6 late 1960's

Bradley Top Lock 1970 -John Whitehouse

Bradley Locks Vic Smallshire

1969 (Arthur Price)

Below Top Lock - Brian Beagley 1960


Bradley Locks 2 - 6

Bradley Locks No2 (HNBC - P Weaver Collection)

Locks 3 and 4 1960 - Brian Beagley 







Lock 5


Locks 5 to 1




Bradley Locks 6 to 4

Willingsworth Furnace Arm off Bradley Locks Branch

DCT Archive

DCT Archive

DCT Archive

DCT Archive



Bradley Lock 7


Bradley Lock 7


Unidentified lock on Bradley Flight


Bradley Ironworks 



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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