Fazeley Junction facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fazeley Junction |
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| Specifications | |
| Status | Open |
| Navigation authority | Canal and River Trust |
| History | |
| Date completed | 1790 |
Fazeley Junction is a busy meeting point for canals. It's where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal finishes its journey and connects with the Coventry Canal. This important junction is located near Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. Think of it like a crossroads for boats!
Contents
How Fazeley Junction Was Built
The Coventry Canal's Start
The story of Fazeley Junction begins with the Coventry Canal. A special law was passed in 1768 to allow this canal to be built. Its goal was to link Coventry to the Grand Trunk Canal, which is now called the Trent and Mersey Canal, at a place called Fradley. The canal was planned to go through Atherstone and Fazeley.
The first part of the Coventry Canal, about 10 miles (16 km) long, opened in 1769. This section went from Coventry to Bedworth, where there were coal mines. Soon, a very good business grew from moving coal on the canal. By 1771, the canal reached Atherstone, but then the money ran out, and building stopped. Atherstone was still about 10.4 miles (16.7 km) away from Fazeley.
Building the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Next came the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Building this canal was tricky because another company, the Birmingham Canal Navigations, didn't want it built. But eventually, these problems were solved, and permission was given in 1784. This new canal was designed to make the trip to London much shorter for goods from Birmingham. Before this, boats had to travel a long way down the River Severn and then across southern England.
However, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal wouldn't be very useful unless the Coventry Canal was finished all the way to Fazeley. So, the canal companies talked to each other to make sure the new canal would connect to a much bigger network of waterways.
Connecting the Canals
As part of the plan, the Oxford Canal agreed to extend its route south to reach Oxford and the River Thames. The Coventry Canal link to Fradley was to be completed in three steps:
- The Coventry Canal company would build the section to Fazeley. This part included eleven locks at Atherstone and two more at Glascote.
- The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal company would build the next section. This went from Fazeley to Whittington Brook, near Lichfield, which was about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long.
- Finally, the Trent and Mersey Canal company would build south from Fradley Junction to meet the other section at Whittington Brook. This part was also about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long.
The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal was finished in 1789. The whole network of canals was open and working by 1790. Because of the Fazeley Junction and all the boats passing through it, the Coventry Canal became very successful. It even bought the section from Fradley to Whittington from the Trent and Mersey company. However, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, which soon became part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations, kept ownership of its section. This is why the bridges north of Fazeley have name plates in the Birmingham Canal Navigations style, not just numbers.
Where Fazeley Junction Is Located
From Fazeley Junction, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal goes south. This part of the canal is flat for about 3 miles (4.8 km) until you reach Curdworth Bottom Lock. After that, there are 38 locks that lift boats up to Farmers Bridge Junction in Birmingham.
If you head north-west from the junction, the route to Fradley Junction is flat for the entire 11 miles (18 km). This means there are no locks on this section. However, there are locks on the Trent and Mersey Canal on both sides of Fradley Junction.
The Coventry Canal first goes north-east from Fazeley Junction before turning south. The first lock on this canal is at Glascote, which is only about 1.4 miles (2.3 km) from the junction.
