Aldersley Junction facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aldersley Junction
Aldersley Junction, showing Wolverhampton bottom lock at the end of the BCN Main Line
Specifications
Status	Open
Navigation authority	Canal & River Trust
History
Date completed	1772

Aldersley Junction is a special place where two important canals meet! It's where the Birmingham Main Line Canal ends and joins the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. You can find it near Oxley, which is just north of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, England. This junction first opened way back in 1772.

History of Aldersley Junction

The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal started operating in April 1772. It connected Great Haywood Junction on the Trent and Mersey Canal to Stourport on the River Severn.

The Birmingham Canal was approved by a special law, called an Act of Parliament, on February 24, 1768. This law said the canal would run from Birmingham to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire main line. The meeting point was called Autherley, which was also known as Aldersley back then.

There was an unusual rule in the law. It said that if the Birmingham company didn't finish the junction within six months of opening their canal, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal could build it themselves. They could also charge the Birmingham company for all the building costs.

Building the Canal Link

The Birmingham company quickly opened the part of their canal from Birmingham to Wednesbury. This area had many coal mines, which was very important for trade. However, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire company felt the Birmingham company was slow to finish the link to their canal.

Work on the link began in early 1770. In May, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire company tried to get a special court order called a mandamus writ. This order would have forced the Birmingham company to build the junction. But they didn't get the order.

So, in January 1771, they presented a bill (a proposed law) to Parliament. This bill would allow them to build the junction. At this point, the Birmingham company decided to talk things over. They paid the costs of the bill and agreed to quickly finish the link.

The Challenge of the Locks

Building this link was a big job! It involved building 20 locks, which later became 21 locks. These locks were needed to lower the canal's water level by about 132 feet (40 m) between Wolverhampton and the junction.

Finally, the junction opened for boats on September 21, 1772. This was about five months after the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal had opened.

Changing Names and New Canals

For a while, the names Autherley and Aldersley were used for the same junction. But then, the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal opened a new canal. This new canal joined the Chester Canal to a new junction about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) further north.

At this point, the northern junction became known as Autherley. The southern junction, the one we are talking about, became known as Aldersley.

Before this new canal, many goods traveled on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. They went from the Potteries to cities like Gloucester and Bristol in the southwest. Manufactured goods also traveled north from Birmingham.

However, the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal was a "new generation" canal. Instead of winding around the land, it used embankments and cuttings to create a straighter, faster route. It also grouped locks together. This made it shorter and quicker.

Because of this, much of the trade that used to travel 21 miles (34 km) from Aldersley to Great Haywood Junction now only traveled the short distance between Aldersley and Autherley. The Staffordshire and Worcestershire company was losing money. So, they raised the tolls (fees) for this short stretch of canal to very high levels. They hoped this would make boats use their longer route again.

A Proposed Solution

To fix this problem, the Birmingham Canal company worked with the Liverpool Junction company. They suggested building a new canal called the Tettenhall and Autherley Canal and Aqueduct.

This new canal would have left the Birmingham Canal just above lock 19. It would then cross over the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal just below Aldersley Junction. It would do this using an aqueduct made of iron. After crossing, it would drop down through three locks to join the Liverpool Junction Canal.

Plans for this new canal were drawn up by a company called Dugdale Houghton. However, the canal was never built. This is because the Staffordshire and Worcestershire company decided to lower their tolls instead. They realized it was better to get some money from tolls than to lose all the trade.

Location of Aldersley Junction

Aldersley Junction is located on the highest part of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. This section is about 340 feet (100 m) above sea level.

The canal continues for about 8.1 miles (13.0 km) north from the junction before reaching Gailey Lock. This is the first lock that starts the canal's descent towards Great Haywood Junction. To the south, Compton Lock is about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away. This lock begins the descent towards Stourbridge.

The Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal became part of the Shropshire Union Canal network in 1846. Just after Autherley Junction, there is a stop lock that lowers the water level by only a few inches. After this, there is a level section of canal about 7.8 miles (12.6 km) long before the first main lock at Wheaton Aston.

The Birmingham Canal became part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. The first of 21 locks, which raise the canal 132 feet (40 m) up to the 473-foot (144 m) level, is right after Aldersley Junction.