Tame Valley Canal

The Tame Valley Canal is a relatively late canal in the West Midlands of England. It forms part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, and opened in 1844. It was conceived as a northern bypass for the Birmingham Canal Navigations, to relieve pressure on the congested Farmers Bridge lock flight. It connects the Walsall Canal at its western end to the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at its eastern end. It takes its name from the roughly-parallel River Tame. Much of it is at the Birmingham Canal Navigations' Walsall Level, following the 408-foot (124 m) contour. At its eastern end, a flight of 13 locks lowers the level of the canal by 106 feet (32 m). It is crossed by a large number of bridges, many of which date from the construction of the canal, and are grade II listed. There are eight aqueducts, seven of which are original, while the eighth crosses the connecting road between the M5 and M6 motorways. The eastern end is dwarfed by a maze of motorway viaducts, which form the Gravelly Hill Interchange, known to many as Spaghetti Junction.