Would you like to come to our house? Our friends Helen and James asked us as we travelled north up the Staffs and Worcester, well not actually their house but their local NT property and only 5 minutes walk from the canal. And so after a mornings cruise together,
James at the helm
we moored up at Wightwick Bridge Visitor Mooring
Good mooring at wightwick bridge
and strolled across to the Manor.
Wightwick Manor (pronounced witick)
Built in the late 1880’s, Wightwick Manor, was built for Theodore Mander and his family. They were inspired by the Arts and Craft style so lots of William Morris and Rossetti to see. It was also a period known as the Aesthetic movement -basically art for arts sake.
The family still have an apartment in the house and are known to enjoy Christmas there, although I’m not sure if they still use the dining room.
But I bet they are tempted to play the odd frame of snooker
As always you can’t visit a NT house without a visit to the bathroom, and in this case the sluice, containing a collection of slipper bedpans, not all that dissimilar to the sluices and bedpans in the hospital where I did my nurse training and that was in 1983.
Lots more laughter as we enjoyed the gardens
me and Helen
Definitely a property I’d visit again. Even if just to walk around the garden.
We could happily have stayed a few days soaking in the tranquility at the lower end of the Stourbridge canal. But we were ready to continue our journey north.
just four more locks before the junction
And onto the Stafforshire and Worcestershire canal.
We turn right towards Wolverhampton
This canal was built in the 1770’s to service the potteries around Stoke on Trent. However trade declined when newer canals provided a more direct route between Liverpool and the South. In order to remain competitive the canal company increased the lock opening hours and reduced the tolls. Now there’s an interesting idea. It’s a very pretty canal that cuts through the red sandstone rock in places, and follows the meandering rivers and Smestow Brook.
hope we don’t meet any oncoming boats
Within minutes of turning north, the smell of wild garlic hit us, so I leapt off to gather a bunch to make pesto our first spring foraging treat.
You just need to harvest the leaves, but make sure you identify what’s garlic and what isn’t, everyth8ng looks lush and green right now
Our next first was seeing our first ducklings of the year, 24th April. Out of interest I looked back to last year and my first duckling photo was on 23rd April.
there were another 5 who were a bit camera shy
And another first, this time for James Brindley in 1770, as he managed to combine a lock and road bridge in one crossing.
Awbridge Bridge no 49
And whilst we were ticking off firsts, we realised that this was the first time we had done the Bratch Locks in sunshine. It was raining so hard last time we had to bribe the lockies to leave their toll booth to help us
The Bratch Locks, Wombourne
It’s an amazing feat of engineering, originally a staircase lock of three, the water level changes by over 30′. Although technically its now individual locks it still needs to be treated as a staircase and there’s usually a lock keeper on duty to make sure no one sinks. Sadly James Brindley died a few months before it became operational.
The locks are fierce and powerful, we often chat to the families watching at locks and always remind the children never to play close to the edge because of the undercurrents. We had never seen a whirlpool as big as this one at a lock
The vortex was between 8 and 12 inches across.
Finally something we’ve come to enjoy peaceful mooring
We have a special affinity for all things glass in our family, as our daughter is a lampworker- that is someone who works with glass heated by an oil lamp, (or for the past few centuries a gas torch, but the name stuck.) As opposed to glass blowing which is heated till molton in a furnace. She specialises in glass beads which she makes into knitting accessories. So when we realised we were cruising right through the traditional heart of the English glass industry it would have been a pity not to visit the museum.
Set over 2 floors there was a collection of historic glass dating from Roman times following the transformation of utility functional pieces through to the highly decorated cut glass crystal. And if I’m honest that section didn’t excite me, but upstairs I was overwhelmed by the modern colourful art glass. Which begs the question, museum or gallery?
Very hard to do justice to the glass on a phone camera
Either way, in our dreams, if we weren’t already living it, we would live in some fabulous architect designed house, with huge windows letting the light shine onto our white walls setting off beautifully displayed pieces of art, like the glass we were looking at today. And of course because this is fantasy land, it would never need cleaning, although I’m sure this piece that made us chuckle, wouldn’t mind the flick of a feather duster
they certainly look happy
The contemporary glass really did cover a huge range of styles and techniques
Who doesn’t need a glass Darley
Although I was particularly impressed by this artist who included her love of knitting into her glass
Emmy had been featured on the BBC Make it At Market show earlier this year and consequently had sold out of these quirky little bowls otherwise I’d have been tempted to buy one. However there is an artist in residence who regularly gives demonstrations. Although he wasn’t demonstrating when we visited, we spent quite a while chatting to Alistair. Glass production is one of those industries that seem to have slipped through the support network dealing with fuel price rises. His gas bill has risen from around £4000 to over £70000 in the past 18 months and he is currently installing solar panels and replacing his gas kiln with an electric one.
Alistair at work (photo from museum website)
It wasn’t a difficult decision to decide to buy some of his glass, the difficult it was choosing just one piece
my little piece of art
Next to the museum is the Red Cone museum,
Its undergoing some renovation work right now so we could only look through the open doors, the furnaces are in the centre with coal fires underneath and the cone shaped chimney to draw the flame and gain the searing 1000° temperature needed.
We got our timings wrong so didn’t get a chance to do the full walking tour of all the glass in Stourbridge, but I’m sure we will make the effort to do so next time. But until then I’m sure Heather will give me an impromptu lesson in her studio.
Just an assortment from Flameknits, our very own artist in residenceAnd back to the canal
After 28 glorious lock free miles we were about to be brought back down to reality. We waved goodbye to the beautiful Bumblehole.
And set off, only one lock at Blowers Green pump house where the Dudley 2 meets the Dudley 1. (If we had turned right we would have reached the dudley tunnel which is restricted access only)
Blowers Green lock, junction of Dudley 1 and 2
And just as we were safely in the lock, we heard sirens and a police car skidded to a halt, 2 officers leapt out, luckily they didnt consider our windlass a deady weapon, they were chasing a suspect on a motorbike last seen on the towpath, fortunately not by us, and they declined a ride on firecrest when they realised they could walk faster than we cruise. We carried on south for an overnight stop at Merry Hill because despite the beautiful blue sky we were being buffeted around by some force 9 gales.
Mooring with a view…
Tempting though the M&S food hall is, if you have too much of a good thing it stops becoming a treat. And sadly we also experiences some unwanted attention from the locals. We heard a suspicious sound outside the boat and found 6 lads in their 20s sitting on the roof taking photos. There was nothing malicious in their intent, just obliviousness to it being our home. They were very apologetic. And then a school kid, who was with his family decided to kick the boat as he walked past, he got yelled at and ran off before I got the chance to throw a bucket of water over him cause he was anything but apologetic. Where are the police when you need them – chasing proper criminals we hope. We’ll give this mooring a miss in future. But now fully fuelled with adrenaline, we set off. The plan was just to do the Black Delph flight,
can’t see the bottom, but its only 8 locks
8 locks dropping 85′ but we struck gold with 2 volunteers and between us preparing the lock ahead meant we were down in well under an hour.
No mist at the bottom
We thought we’d found a safe place to moor
Brings a new meaning to mooring up
But the sun was now shining and we were intent on going down not up. The Stourbridge 16 isn’t the most salubrious areas at the top,
Top of the Stourbridge Canal
But again we struck gold, not with an official volunteer, just an old guy with a windlass who liked to work locks, he didn’t stop to chat, he just walked ahead to prepare the next lock leaving us to work our way down. We did persuade him to accept a pint to show our thanks, because not having that extra step of having to fill the lock ahead, made all the difference between us enjoying the journey and it becoming a hard slog.
The flight drops 145′ and it does get prettier and the industrial heritage more interesting. Stourbridge was known for its glass making and the Red House Cone is a prominent feature. Built around 1790 the 100′ chimney is designed to draw the heat from the furnaces below so the temperature reaches 1000°C. Originally the glass was used for windows but in the 1830s production changed to bottles and tableware. Stuart Crystal was made here until 1930s.
The Red House Cone, one of the last remaining chimneys.
There is visitor mooring outside the cone, but with the last off the locks in site we decided to make the most of our helper and continue to the bottom.
I can see the last one
24 locks over 5 miles all in 1 day. I could have done with a fish and chip super, but we made do with a dine in for 2 from M&S instead. 158miles to go and 118 locks
We do like the mooring at the Bumblehole, but curiosity got the better of us, wondering what we’d find down the Hawne Arm.
This way to Hawne Basin
We had been warned that the Gosty Tunnel was low and the water shallow, but the rewards would be cheap diesel at Hawne basin…. Paul and his crew from Waterways Routes, were moored next to us, and encouraged us to give it a go
hello waterway routes
A lot of effort has been put into encouraging people to make the most of the canals around here, and local artist Luke Perry has a series of 31 sculptures that represent the people and heritage of the Dudley 2, This graffiti artist is telling us that this was the Tollmans office, where he would set the toll fee using a notched freeboard stick to calculate the weight of the boat.
if you cant beat them, join them
Sadly there’s a lot of derelict neglect to be seen around here, despite some gems, the sculpture we liked the most is the elephant, who was found frolicking in the canal in the 1900s. I wonder how CRT would have handled that one…
For a backwater only 2 miles long there was plenty to make us smile,
And the geese don’t mind building their nests amongst the rubble
Then the entrance to the notoriously low Gosty Tunnel
Gosty Tunnel, here we come
Which isn’t all that long, and didn’t seem that low…..
Light at the end of the tunnel
At first…
But there was a nice friendly fella distracting us from the warning white paint
Concentrate captain
Or perhaps not so friendly
Someones got a sense of humour
And yes we really did have to duck
glad we took the aerials down
But we followed the light at the end of the tunnel and made it out, without becoming victim to the rocky sides or count dracula. We were treated to some impressive old brickwork. This stretch of the canal had been vital to the former Stewarts and Lloyd’s steel works.
No wonder Tolkein got inspiration for Lord of the Rings from here
Hawne Basin had been the rail interchange for transhipment of S&Ls huge steel tubes, and is now the end of navigation. The original line had gone a further 5 miles to Selly Oak cutting out the centre of Birmingham
entrance to Hawne Basin
We picked up fuel for less than £/l wishing we had had an emptier tank. The reception was welcoming, and the community spirit obvious, I am sure they would have found us space for an overnight stay if we had asked. But we’d decided to make the return trip to Bumblehole the same day. Eric had promised me a black country speciality for tea, battered chips. Yes they really were that orange, and yes there was a huge piece of fish under them. Another good reason to plan a return trip this way.
We have mixed feelings about being in built up areas, sometimes they appeal and other times we yearn for the countryside. And having explored Birmingham last January the busyness of the Easter Bank Holiday encouraged us to move on after only one night. Last year we had travelled into Birmingham on the Old Line, so this time we decided to explore a new route and leave on the New Main line
left hand down a bit
The two lines run parallel to each other for quite a stretch,
Swiped from CRT’s maps
The advantage being that the improved new mainline tackles the summit with a tunnel instead of 6 locks, making it a much quicker and easier passage for the barges.
Smethwick tunnel
And also reducing the workload for the Smethwick pumping station
Smethwick pump house, now a museum
And whilst I’m sure they weren’t built at the same time, the M5 motorway provides a canopy over the Old line for quite a section, whereas the New line creeps underneath the two, although you cant see it, there’s also a railway line crossing at the same point.
Duck, going under the Old line and the M5
Last January we had taken 3 days to do this journey on the Old Line it was cold and bitter and section’s of the canal were still frozen. This time we had reached the Netherton tunnel branch in 3 hours.
Netherton Junction
And we were able to moor up in the very pretty and peaceful Bumblehole
Perhaps Easter Weekend wasn’t the best time to travel through Birminham- it was busy, but its when we arrived so off we set. The trip from King’s Norton Junction starts off depressing, with seemingly miles of graffiti,
Mindless graffiti, although the reflections ahead of us do at least look colourful
But it isn’t all bad as we made our progress north, “look at all those roof tops” Eric said
Bournville village
So I dutifully turned my head to the right to look, only to realise he was cruising as fast as he could (metaphorically cause 3mph isn’t fast) past what was on our left, a chocolate factory, and at Easter, but I suspect the Easter bunny was as busy as Santa’s elves so we didn’t stop.
Just imagine the smell, if you lived here
We’d arranged to pick up our friend James at Selly Oak, because he used to work at the University, in an office overlooking the canal. It was his dream to look up rather than look down. Of course we were too busy chatting to record the fantasy with a photo. But he enjoyed the experience. And Eric and I were still enjoying our lock free stretch, although this meant more tunnels
Seeing the light through Edgbaston tunnel
Edgbaston tunnel isn’t too long and as there is such a high footfall the towpath is always lit, which creates a rather weird impression that the the canal has run dry.
Where’s all the water gone
Many years ago Eric also used to work in Birminham, in the BT tower which we could see in the distance, although as an 18 year old I doubt he commanded a penthouse office with a view of the waterways.
looking up at the skyline -whilst we were being snapped by a gongoozler
We rounded the corner past one of my favourite buildings The Cube
The Cube (rooms from £130 a night)
And straight through Birminghams icon canal quarter
End of the Worcester and Birmingham canal and start of the Birmingham Old line canal
Where old and new seem to complement each other artistically,
Gas street Basin
Where we negotiated the giant plug, and tempting though it is to pull it out, who knows where we might end up if sucked down the vortex
Old Turn Junction
And moored up just beyond St Vincent St Bridge. We prefer a quieter mooring, and we got full sun here.
Where the daffodils outshine the graffiti
And it was a good time to stop for a bacon buttie
Next time we’ll make sure there are some locks to work us through
After completing 71 locks in 33 miles (out of 220 locks in 230 miles on our journey north) we are looking forward to a glorious 29 miles of locks free cruising through Birmingham, to let my achey muscles recover. Hockley Heath was a useful stopping off point with a fantastic, if expensive butchers, a good Coop and providing dreams of a faster mode of transport at the Maclaren garage.
If you cant see the price tag, you cant afford it.
Once we had passed Dickens Heath, a pristine new town created in the 1980s as a dormitory serving Solihul.
Dickens Heath
We noticed the amount of graffiti and debris in the canal starting to increase. When this fridge sinks its going to be a real hazard to boaters.
a few spoiling it for many
But urban areas always have the potential to surprise and interest us. We’re used to seeing Buzzards soaring in the skies but rarely get a chance to see them sitting watching us sail by.
A buzzard
Even more unusual is a Guillotine Lock at the end of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal.
Kings Norton Stop Lock
It wasn’t built to chop off the heads off any boater not paying their toll, but as a Stop lock to conserve water between the Stratford-upon-Avon canal and the Birmingham and Worcester canal. (And as a pinch point to force boaters to stop and pay their tolls.) These space-saving locks were quicker to opperate because they didn’t need paddles opening to alter the water level.
Goodbye Stratford-upon-Avon canal and hello Birmingham and Worcester canal
149 locks in196 miles still to go to reach Liverpool
We don’t take advantage of our National Trust membership as often as we should but Packwood House in Lapworth was a mere 20 minute stroll from our mooring. The sun was shining so off we set.
Moored just below the Drawbridge farm lift bridge
Originally built in the 1500s this grade 1 listed manor house fell into neglect until it was bought and restored by Graham Baron Ash in the 1920s. He donated it to the NT in the 1940s. Baron (his name not a title) continued to live there until he moved out to Wingfield Castle taking a fair bit of the best stuff with him. However, as with a lot of this magnificent old buildings the bathrooms remain and continue to fascinate us.
oh to be able to soak in a bath like that
Baron had been a keen traveller and great collector of things that pleased him. And nowadays the volunteers bubble over with enthusiasm to share their knowledge of the artefacts. We particularly liked this intricate lacquered chest.
And the great hall that had been transformed from the cattle byre into the party annex
But you had better behave yourselves because you were being watched
However Packwood is known most for is the Yew garden.
From the entrance its very imposing and formal , but once you’re inside, its quite surreal, we felt like characters from Alice in wonderland walking through a giant chess game. The oldest trees date back from the 1600’s, but alas they are showing their age and a lot of work is being done to restore and repair the garden.
impossible to capture without swiping a photo from the NT website
But grand though the yew trees were, you can’t beat a field of daffodils
Decisions decisions which way should we go to Birmingham,
Birmingham or Stratford.
Plan A- carry straight on up the Grand Union Canal via Knowle and Aston Junction exploring a new stretch of water
Plan A to carry on up the Grand Union canal
No, it looks like Plan B via Lapworth
Or Plan B turn left onto the Stratford Canal
We’d heard a rumour about a stoppage along planned route A so decided not to risk it. And besides, choosing route B cut 11 locks off our total journey. Despite the mindless graffiti on the bridge, Kingswood junction is a very pretty place with the Kingswood link branch joining the Stratford upon Avon Canal.
Kingswood Junction
And the Stratford canal is all single locks
I know I’m a bit obsessed about the number of locks we’re doing, but that’s my achy muscles talking and I knew there were 19 to get to the top of the Lapworth flight. But as if to encourage me, the clouds dispersed and spring sunshine spurred us on.
Up the Lapworth flight
This is the route we took last year coming south on our way to the Thames. And the Lapworth flight is where my phone took a leap in for a swim, never to be seen again, it didn’t stop me peering into the infamous lock 8 just in case I could rescue it.
surprise surprise the naughty phone remains in Navy Jones’s Locker. So we were able to marvel at some of the interesting historical structures instead. The bridges on the Stratford canal are metal and split to allow traditional horse drawn boats to pass through efficiently. On Bridge 32 there is a rotating wheel that helps guide the pulling ropes from one side of the canal to the other as the towpath changes side.
bridge 32
We made it up to Lapworth top lock and settled in to enjoy a few days of sunshine at Hockley Heath.
top lock 2
And the prospect of more than 20 miles without any more locks.
