Stourbridge Extension Canal facts for kids
The Stourbridge Extension Canal was a short waterway built in England to help transport coal and other materials from mines in the Kingswinford area of Staffordshire. Even though it connected to the Stourbridge Canal, it was a separate canal. It opened in 1840 and was closed down in 1935. Today, a small part of it is still used by boats as a place to stop and tie up.
Building the Canal
In the 1820s, many new coal mines started operating near Kingswinford. This area was just north-west of a part of the Stourbridge Canal called the Fens branch. People thought about building a canal or a railway to serve these mines, but nothing was decided right away.
One company, Gibbons and Co., built a small railway (called a tramway) in 1825. Later, Lord Dudley built another railway in 1829. Still, there were more ideas for canals and railways to the Shutt End area. The Stourbridge Canal company wanted to extend their canal, but Lord Dudley disagreed, so that plan didn't happen.
In 1836, a new group of business people suggested a different canal called the Stourbridge, Wolverhampton & Birmingham Junction Canal. This canal would have been much longer, going through a tunnel and connecting to other major canals. However, many people and other canal companies didn't like this idea. The company also couldn't raise enough money for such a big project.
How it was Built
Because of the opposition and lack of funds, the company got permission from Parliament in 1837 for a much smaller canal. This new plan was for a canal from Brockmoor to Oak Farm, just past Shutt End. They also promised to buy an existing tramway once their canal was finished.
Construction started in June 1837. Several engineers worked on the project, including William Fowler, Benjamin Townshend, and William Richardson. The main builder was James Frost. The canal was built on one level, meaning it didn't need many locks. It had just one special lock, called a stop lock, where it joined the Stourbridge Canal. The main part of the canal was about 2 miles (3.2 km) long.
The canal opened on June 27, 1840, and cost about £49,000. This included £3,000 to buy the tramway, which they did in 1841. Later in 1840, the Sandhills Branch opened. It was about 0.6 miles (1 km) long and led to places where boats could load and unload goods, and to limekilns. In 1841, the Bromley Branch opened. It was about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) long. The canal was very successful, carrying lots of iron ore and limestone to factories, and sending finished iron and coal to other areas.
Canal Life and Railways
Soon after the canal opened, railways started to become popular and posed a challenge. In 1845, a railway company called the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway wanted to build tracks along the canal. They made a deal: if they got permission to build the railway, they would buy the canal.
They did get permission, and the railway company bought the canal on March 27, 1847. This was different from many other takeovers. The law said that the railway company had to keep the canal in good condition. It also said they couldn't raise the prices (tolls) for using the canal too much, so that the canal could still compete. The government could even step in if the railway company didn't run the canal fairly.
The railway company paid £49,000 for the canal. The canal was one of their main ways to make money. It did very well, carrying over 500,000 tons of goods each year between 1850 and 1859. Its profits grew from £1,331 to £3,532 in the same time. By the 1850s, the canal served many businesses, including two brickworks, four coal mines, and six ironworks with seventeen blast furnaces.
As the railway companies changed owners (first to the West Midland Railway, then to the Great Western Railway), the canal also got new owners. Even though it was short and much of the traffic traveled only a short distance on it, the canal still made money. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the amount of goods carried on the canal started to drop. The canal was finally closed down in 1935.
Today
Most of the Stourbridge Extension Canal was filled in after it was closed. A business park now stands where most of the northern part of the Sandhill Branch used to be. Houses have been built over the middle section of the canal.
However, a small part of the canal is still there and has water in it. This section runs from the Brockmoor Junction, where it meets the Stourbridge Canal, to the stop lock at Bromley. In 2004, special places for boats to moor (tie up) were built along the north side of this remaining section.
