Galton Valley Canal Heritage Centre facts for kids
The Galton Valley Canal Museum is a cool little museum in Smethwick, England. It's right next to the famous BCN Main Line canals, which are like old water highways. This museum helps you discover the amazing story of how the Galton Valley canals were built. You'll also learn about the clever people who designed them and the hard-working folks who built and used them.
In 2009, the museum won a Silver award for 'Best Small Visitor Attraction' at the Black Country Tourism Awards. That's a big deal for a small museum! In 2011, the museum moved to a new home. It's now inside the New Smethwick Pumping Station. You can visit it when the Sandwell Museum Service and The Friends of Galton Valley open it up. Because the pumping station has less space, many of the original museum's items are now at the Smethwick Heritage Centre in Victoria Park.
The New Smethwick Pumping Station
The New Smethwick Pumping Station is a historic building. It sits between the Birmingham Old and New Main Line Canals. It first opened in 1892. Its main job was to pump water. It moved water from the lower New Main Line Canal up to the higher Old Main Line Canal. This replaced water that was lost when boats went through the Smethwick locks.
A Short Working Life
The pumping station didn't work for very long. It closed in the mid-1920s. This happened because fewer boats were using the canals. The building was empty for many years. It was used for a short time during the Second World War. Then, in the late 1980s, it was fixed up. It became part of the Galton Valley Canal Heritage Centre.
Replacing Old Engines
When it was new, the Pumping Station took the place of two older wooden steam engines. These engines were at Bridge Street and Spon Lane in Smethwick. The site at Bridge Street was very special. It was where James Watt's famous Smethwick Engine once stood. You can now see Watt's engine at the Think Tank Museum in Birmingham. However, you can still arrange tours of the original site through the Galton Valley museum.
Find Out More
- Sandwell Museum Service Website
