Bumble Hole Branch Canal

The Dudley Canal had completed a route from south of Dudley to Delph Locks, at the bottom of which it connected to the Stourbridge Canal. It opened in 1779, but trade only started to develop when the Stourbridge Canal was completed in 1781. They then set about linking it to the Birmingham Canal Navigations by constructing a long tunnel through the ridge of land to the north of their canal. This was fraught with delays, but finally opened in 1792. Within months, they embarked on a plan for another canal, known as the Dudley No. 2 Canal, which would link the south end of Dudley Tunnel to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Selly Oak, involving another long tunnel at Lappal. This was…

The towpath on the Dudley No.2 Canal is on the east bank, and consequently ran around the inside of the Bumble Hole loop. A towpath bridge crosses the Dudley Canal immediately to the north of the junction with the Bumble Hole Branch, and another crosses the start of the Bumble Hole Branch. The Dudley Canal bridge is a grade II listed roving footbridge. It is made of cast iron, with brick abutments, and was manufactured by Toll End Works at Tipton. The side panels are pierced, to create a lattice of saltire crosses. The bridge over the Bumble Hole Branch is constructed of bricks. The canal is flanked by private gardens to the south west and the landscaped remains of the Bumble Hole clay pit…