Gas Street Basin facts for kids
Gas Street Basin is a cool spot in the middle of Birmingham, England. It's where two important canals meet: the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the BCN Main Line. You can find it on Gas Street, near famous places like The Mailbox and Brindleyplace. It's a busy and historic part of the city!
Contents
A Look Back at Gas Street Basin
The Story of the Worcester Bar
Long ago, in 1773, the Birmingham Canal was finished. It ended at a place called Old Wharf. Later, another company started building the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. They wanted to connect it near what is now Gas Street Basin.
But the company that owned the Birmingham Canal, called the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), didn't want the new canal to use their water for free. So, they demanded a special barrier! This barrier was called the Worcester Bar. It was about 7-foot-3-inch-wide (2.21 m) and 84 yards (77 m) long. It stood right between the two canals.
Because of this barrier, boats couldn't just pass from one canal to the other. Workers had to move all the goods by hand from boats on one side to boats on the other. Imagine how much work that was!
Opening the Canals
The Worcester and Birmingham Canal first opened a section between Birmingham and Selly Oak on October 30, 1795. But it took a long time, until 1815, for the canal to be fully finished all the way to Worcester.
By then, many people, especially those who worked with iron and coal, wanted the barrier removed. They wanted boats to be able to travel easily between the canals. So, a special law was passed by Parliament. This law allowed the Worcester Bar to be opened up.
After the law passed, a special lock was built. It was called the bar lock. This lock allowed boats to move from one canal to the other. There were offices on both sides of the lock. Here, each canal company collected money (tolls) from boats that used their waterways.
Today, the Worcester Bar is still there. You can see boats tied up on both sides of it. A footbridge connects it to Gas Street. This bridge was rebuilt to look like the original one from the 1800s.
Modern Changes and Famous Appearances
In the 1990s, the area around Gas Street Basin got a big makeover. Many old buildings were fixed up, and new ones were built. It became the lively place you see today.
Some parts of Gas Street Basin are very old and important. The wall and ramp leading down from Gas Street are listed as Grade II historic buildings. The Tap and Spile pub and the building next to it are also listed. Even the Martin & Chamberlain building, which sits above the Broad Street Tunnel, is a listed building.
Gas Street Basin has even been in movies and TV shows! In 1973, it was a main location in the Cliff Richard film Take Me High. A small cottage by the canal was also used as a character's home in the long-running TV show Crossroads.
Gallery
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Gas Street Basin looks beautiful at night.
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These are the Grade II listed steps and wall that lead to Gas Street.
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This is the Worcester Bar stop lock, but its gates have been removed.
