Bordesley Junction facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bordesley Junction
The main line to Warwick through Camp Hill Locks is straight ahead. The bypass to Salford Junction turns under the towpath bridge.
Specifications
Status	Open
Navigation authority	Canal & River Trust
History
Date completed	1844

Bordesley Junction is a special place where canals meet, like a crossroads for boats! It's located near Bordesley in Birmingham, England. This junction is where the Grand Union Canal splits into different paths. It was built in 1844 to help boats avoid busy areas and make travel smoother.

History of the Junction

The Grand Union Canal is actually made up of several older canals that joined together in 1929. The part of the canal that goes through Bordesley was originally called the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. It connected with another canal, the Digbeth Branch, a little way north-west of where the junction is now.

Building the Canals

The Warwick and Birmingham Canal was approved by a special law (an Act of Parliament) in 1793. It officially opened on December 19, 1799. Another canal, the Warwick and Napton Canal, also opened at the same time. This canal continued from the southern end of the Warwick and Birmingham Canal to the Oxford Canal. Commercial boat traffic started on March 19, 1800, after a three-month testing period. The Digbeth Branch Canal was built in 1799.

Solving Traffic Jams

Since 1793, there had been a big problem with too many boats at the Farmer's Bridge flight of locks. This problem got even worse when the Warwick and Birmingham Canal opened. This canal was the main link between the Birmingham canals and London.

To help with the traffic, improvements were made in 1829 to the main Birmingham Canal. Then, in 1835, the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal opened. This brought even more boats into the area, traveling to and from the north-west.

So, a solution was urgently needed! In 1839, a law was passed to build the Tame Valley Canal. At the same time, an old idea from 1830 was brought back. This idea was to build a new canal line from Salford Junction to Camp Hill Locks.

Opening the Junction

Both the Tame Valley Canal and the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal got their laws passed on the same day in 1840. The Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal built six locks (including a stop lock) between Salford Junction and the new Bordesley Junction. This new canal and the junction officially opened on February 14, 1844. The Tame Valley Canal also opened on the same day.

Where Bordesley Junction Is Located

Bordesley Junction is a key meeting point for canal boats.

The Southern Path

The southern path from the junction is the main route of the Grand Union Canal towards London. Boats traveling this way go up through six locks called the Camp Hill Locks. After these locks, they reach a high section of the canal that is about 10.4-mile (16.7 km) long. This high section ends at the five Knowle Locks. The locks at Knowle are wide, unlike those at Camp Hill. They were made wider in the 1930s so that bigger boats, about 14-foot (4.3 m) wide, could carry up to 70 tons of goods.

The North-East Path

The north-east path from the junction was originally the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal. This path leads to Salford Junction and then continues towards the north-east and north-west parts of the country. Boats going this way go down through five locks called the Garrison Locks. This section of the canal is about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long.

The North-West Path

The short north-west path leads to the Warwick Bar stoplock. This is very close to Digbeth (or Proof House) Junction and the Digbeth Branch Canal. From there, boats could reach Gas Street Basin, which was the main area for loading and unloading goods in Birmingham. Boats could also continue from Gas Street Basin to the River Severn using the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.