BCN Main Line facts for kids
The BCN Main Line, also known as the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line, is a historic waterway in England. It connects the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton. This canal was super important for moving goods, especially coal, during the time of the Industrial Revolution.
The name "Main Line" helped people tell it apart from all the other canals and branches built by the Birmingham Canal Navigations company. It was the main route for boats carrying coal and other materials.
Contents
The BCN Main Line: A Canal Story
Building the Old Main Line
In 1767, some important business people from Birmingham, like Matthew Boulton, had a meeting. They wanted to build a canal from Birmingham to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near Wolverhampton. This would help them get coal from the Black Country area.
They hired a famous canal builder named James Brindley. He planned a route that was mostly flat but wound its way through towns like Smethwick, Oldbury, and Tipton.
In 1768, a special law was passed to allow the canal to be built. It also included branches to coal mines in Ocker Hill and Wednesbury. Brindley became the main engineer. When the first part of the canal opened to Wednesbury, the price of coal in Birmingham dropped by half!
The canal had two main starting points in Birmingham. One was the Newhall Branch, and the other was the Paradise Street Branch. The main office for the Birmingham Canal Company was built near the Paradise Wharf.
By 1769, about 10 miles (16 km) of the canal were finished, reaching the coal mines in West Bromwich. There was a high point, called a summit, at Smethwick. Boats had to go up and down through 12 narrow locks to cross this summit. Water for the summit came from special reservoirs like Smethwick Great Reservoir.
In 1770, work began towards Wolverhampton. On September 21, 1772, the canal finally connected with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Aldersley Junction. This connection used 20 locks. James Brindley passed away a few days later. The original canal was about 22.6 miles long. It followed the land's shape, with branches going to factories and mines.
Water Woes and Smart Solutions
The first Birmingham Canal was very successful, but it had a big problem: not enough water for the Smethwick Summit. Locks use a lot of water, and it was hard to keep the summit level full.
James Watt, Matthew Boulton's business partner, had invented a better steam engine. These engines were built at both ends of the Smethwick Summit. They pumped water that had gone through the locks back up to the summit. The Smethwick Engine started working in 1779.
In 1784, the Birmingham Canal Company joined with the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal Company. This new, larger company was later called the Birmingham Canal Navigations Company. The new Birmingham and Fazeley Canal was started, which needed even more water for its many locks.
To solve the water and traffic problems at Smethwick, John Smeaton was asked for advice. He suggested digging a long, deep cut through the summit. This "cutting" removed several locks and made the canal easier to use. He also added a second set of locks at Smethwick to handle more boats.
These changes were made in two steps and finished in 1790. The canal was only closed for 14 days during this big project! The summit was lowered, which made it easier to supply water. Water was also pumped from nearby coal mines.
Other changes were made over time. In 1821, a straight cut was built near Oldbury. This made the journey between Birmingham and Wolverhampton shorter.
The New Main Line: Telford's Big Changes
As more canals were built, the original "Old Main Line" became a problem. It was long, winding, and narrow. Boats often had trouble passing each other, and the locks at Smethwick were always crowded.
In 1824, another famous engineer, Thomas Telford, was asked to find solutions. He described the old canal as "little more than a crooked ditch." He saw that boats were constantly getting tangled, and boatmen were always arguing at the locks.
Telford suggested big changes. He wanted to make the canal wider and straighter, especially between Birmingham and Smethwick. He also planned to cut right through Smethwick Summit, so boats wouldn't need any locks there. This would allow boats to travel lock-free from Birmingham to Tipton. Telford's ideas were accepted, and he became the chief engineer.
By 1827, the New Main Line was built. It went straight through, but it also connected to the loops of the Old Main Line. This allowed boats to still reach the factories and wharves that were on the older, winding sections.
Telford also improved the Rotton Park Reservoir (now Edgbaston Reservoir) to hold more water. A special canal branch, the Engine Arm, carried water from this reservoir across a beautiful cast iron aqueduct to supply the canal at Smethwick.
The Smethwick Summit was bypassed by a huge cutting, 71 feet (22 meters) deep and 150 feet (46 meters) wide. This created the Galton Valley, running next to the Old Main Line. Telford finished these changes in 1829.
Telford designed the Galton Bridge, a strong cast iron bridge, to cross his new cutting. It was built at the Horseley Iron Works, which also made the Engine Arm Aqueduct and many other bridges.
In 1837, after Telford's death, a new section of the canal opened with the 360-yard Coseley Tunnel. This tunnel had two towpaths and cut out a long detour.
By 1838, the New Main Line was complete. The journey from Birmingham to Tipton was now lock-free and much shorter. It was sometimes called the Island Line because it cut straight through a hill known as the Island at Smethwick.
Modern Updates to the Canal
In 1892, the old Smethwick Engine was replaced by a new pumping station. This new station helped pump water between the old and new canals.
Later in the 20th century, concrete tunnels were built near Galton Bridge for the Telford Way road. The Ryland Aqueduct, which carries the canal over a main road, was rebuilt in the late 1960s and later painted blue and white.
Today, the Smethwick Summit - Galton Valley area is a protected conservation area. It helps preserve both the Old and New canal lines for everyone to enjoy.
Gallery
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Bridge over Old Main Line in downtown Birmingham
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Two Horsley Ironworks bridges and derelict toll island at Winson Green Junction.
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Roving bridges at Smethwick Junction.
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Recently constructed octagonal BCN Toll house at Smethwick top lock.
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The Engine Arm Aqueduct.
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The New Smethwick Pumping Station (restored).
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Galton Bridge and tunnel.
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Stewart Aqueduct — Motorway (M5) over rail over canal over canal.
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Bromford Junction - Spon Lane bottom lock visible through one of the Horseley Ironworks bridges.
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Watery Lane Junction and Caggy's Boatyard, near Toll End, Tipton.
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Tividale Quays Basin, Dudley Port, Tipton, on the Old Main Line
