Worcester and Birmingham Canal

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Worcester and Birmingham Canal

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a 29-mile (47 km) waterway in England that links Worcester, near the River Severn, with Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. It starts at Worcester and ends in the city centre, where it meets the Birmingham Canal Navigations system.

Key features
- 58 locks in total, including the long Tardebigge flight of 30 locks.
- The canal climbs about 428 feet (130 m) from Worcester to Birmingham.
- It connects with the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the restored Droitwich Canal. It also linked to the Dudley Canal Line No 2 in the past, via the Lapal Tunnel (which was abandoned in 1917). The Lapal Canal Trust is working to restore parts of the route.

History and construction
- The project was authorised by acts of Parliament starting in 1791, with follow-up acts in 1798, 1804, 1808 and 1815 to raise money and extend or complete the works.
- The canal was surveyed by Josiah Clowes and John Snape, with engineers including Thomas Cartwright, John Woodhouse and William Crosley.
- Construction began in 1792. Milestones included reaching Selly Oak in 1795, Kings Norton Junction in 1796, opening the Wast Hills Tunnel in 1797, and reaching Tardebigge by 1807. The final section opened in 1815.
- A water barrier at Gas Street Basin (the Worcester Bar) blocked direct water flow between Worcester and the Birmingham Canal Navigations until a stop lock was built in 1815. The Worcester and Birmingham boats later shared the water space.

Uses and impact
- The canal was important for transporting goods, including supporting Cadbury chocolate factories at Bournville and Worcester.
- In the 1870s, a new railway line followed the canal’s route south to connect with the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway. The Midland Railway helped fund and operate the arrangement, paying rent to the canal company. The railway opened by 1875, running from Granville Street and later through a goods yard under the canal; today it forms part of the Cross-City Line, running in a tunnel next to the canal near Holliday Street Aqueduct.

Today
- The canal is popular for leisure cruising, with narrowboat hire centres at Alvechurch, Worcester, Tardebigge, Dunhampstead and Stoke Prior.
- It forms part of two popular cruising rings: the Stourport Ring (about 74 miles with 105 locks) and the Avon Ring (about 109 miles with 129 locks), which use sections of several waterways.

The Worcester and Birmingham Canal remains a key historical and recreational waterway, connecting two historic cities and weaving through a landscape of engineering and industry.