Old Turn Junction facts for kids
Old Turn Junction, also called Deep Cutting Junction, is a special meeting point for canals in Birmingham, England. It's where the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal joins the main Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal. This junction is easy to spot because it has a unique circular island in the middle!
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History of the Canals
When the very first Birmingham Canal was built in the late 1760s, people disagreed about where it should end. So, they made two ending points. One was created in 1772 at Newhall Hill, called the Newhall Branch. The other was made in 1773 at Paradise Street, known as the Paradise Street Branch. The spot where these two branches met became known as Deep Cutting Junction. Today, we call it Old Turn Junction. The name "Deep Cutting" came from a short part of the canal between the junction and Broad Street Tunnel.
The main office for the Birmingham Canal Company was built at the end of the Paradise Street Branch. This area had wharves, which are like docks, along two basins shaped like a tuning fork. This place was called Old Wharf. Later, some of it was filled in and built over, leaving us with the Gas Street Basin we see today.
How the Junction Got its Name
Later, in 1798, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal was built. It connected to the Main Line at a place called Farmer's Bridge, a little way along the Newhall Branch. This created Farmer's Bridge Junction. In the early 1900s, the Newhall Branch was closed. Because of this, the name Farmer's Bridge Junction moved to what we now call Old Turn Junction. For a while, Farmer's Bridge Junction and Deep Cutting Junction were both names for Old Turn Junction. But in 1993, the name Farmer's Bridge Junction was officially dropped. Now, it's just Old Turn Junction.
In 1824, a famous engineer named Thomas Telford made big changes to the Main Line. He straightened out many of the bends, including one called the Oozells Street loop. After his work, Old Turn Junction became a place where four different canal branches met.
The Roundabout Island Mystery
The circular island at Old Turn Junction was added during World War II. This was a clever idea to help protect a railway tunnel underneath the canal. If the canal was damaged by bombs, temporary dams could be put in place using the island. This would stop the water from flooding the railway tunnel. The north tunnel of the Stour Valley Line, which is a main railway line leading to New Street Station, runs very close to the junction, right under the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.
You might also notice a special signpost, called a fingerpost, at the junction. It was put there on May 21, 1983. This was the first of many such signs placed at canal junctions by the BCN Society to help people find their way.
What's Nearby?
Old Turn Junction used to be in the middle of a busy industrial area. But today, it's surrounded by new and exciting buildings. You can see the National Indoor Arena and the National Sea Life Centre nearby. The Sea Life Centre is part of a modern area called Brindleyplace. To the south-east, you'll find the International Convention Centre and Gas Street Basin. Gas Street Basin is where the Birmingham Canal Navigations ends and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal begins its journey.
