Walsall Canal

The Walsall Canal is a narrow canal, 7 feet or 2.1 metres wide, and 7 miles (11 km) long, forming part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, and passing around the western side of Walsall, West Midlands, England. It was built in four stages, the first being a detached part of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal from Ryders Green Junction to Broadwaters, started in 1783. The Birchills Branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal opened in 1798, the end of which eventually formed another part of the canal. The third section was built in two phases, from Broadwaters to Darlaston and from there to Walsall. This opened around 1800. The final section was a flight of eight locks to link the canal at Walsall to the Birchills Branch, and this was opened in 1841. The authorising act of Parliament for the Broadwaters section, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Act 1783 (23 Geo. 3. c. 92), also allowed the company to build six collateral cuts, to serve the growing coal mining and ironstone industries. This increased to ten branches, but three of them became interconnections to other parts of the canal network. The Toll End Branch was extended by the Toll End Communication Canal to join the Birmingham Canal Navigations main line at Tipton Green. The Bradley Hall Extension was extended to become the Bradley Branch, linking to the Gospel Oak Loop Line, originally part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations old main line until it was bypassed. The Anson Branch remained a branch, but the Bentley Canal was a branch of it until it was extended to the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Wednesfield. All three interconnections have been closed, but there is an active restoration project to reinstate the Bradley Branch. The canal starts at the Birmingham Level at Ryders Green Junction, descends 45 feet (14 m) through the eight Ryders Green locks to the Walsall Level, and rises 65 feet (20 m) through the eight Walsall locks to the Wolverhampton Level of the Wyrley and Essington Canal.