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Worcester and Birmingham Canal

Description: Runs 30 miles from Worcester Bar (Gas Street Basin, Birmingham) where it joins the Birmingham Canal Navigations, to Worcester, where it joins the River Severn

History: Promoted by Acts of 1791, 1798, 1804, 1808 and 1815. Opened in 1815.
For more details see the History page

Navigation Authority: Head Office: British Waterways, MD's Office: Southern Waterways, General Manager: Central Shires Waterways, Peel's Wharf, Lichfield Street, Fazeley, Tamworth, Staffordshire B78 3QZ : Telephone 01827 252000 : Fax 01827 288071 :

The Tardebigge flight in 1963.

Related Articles

Related Books

Related Videos

  • The Worcester & Birmingham Canal Produced by VideoActive Available on tape and DVD. Order on video tape from Amazon Order on DVD from Amazon

Related Photographs

Related External Web Sites

  • Alvechurch Boat Centres : Holiday narrowboat hire from 4 bases. Also boat building and brokerage.
  • Black Prince Holidays : Five bases, covering the canal system of England and Wales, with 80 narrowboats for hire.
  • Worcester Vista : A general site about Worcester that contains some interesting pages on the local Canals.
  • Viking Afloat : Four bases (Worcester, Whitchurch on the Llangollen Canal, Rugby and Gailey) hiring narrowboats.
  • Worcester and Birmingham Canal Society : Well presented and interesting canal society pages.
  • Wychcraft : Traditional crafts of the English canals at Hanbury Wharf in Worcestershire. A one stop shop for traditional Roses and Castles canal painting, signwriting, and interior boat design and fit.

Related Cruising Logs

Other Related Pages

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: Length 71 foot 6 inches, beam 7 foot. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

Worcester and Birmingham Canal: Table of distances

Miles

Locks

Navigable (N)

Grid ref

OS Map No

Worcester Bar, Gas Street Basin

Junction with BCN Main Line

0.0

0

N

SP062865

139

Bridge No 86

A4540 road to city centre

.6

0

N

SP060859

139

Edgbaston Tunnel

1.1

0

N

SP054852

139

Edgbaston Bridge No 84

1.8

0

N

SP050843

139

University Bridge No 82

2.4

0

N

SP044836

139

Selly Oak Station Bridge No 80

Former junction with Dudley Canal Line No 2

3.0

0

N

SP043827

139

Bridge No 78

3.8

0

N

SP048820

139

Strichley Street Bridge No 77

Bournville Station

4.0

0

N

SP051809

139

King's Norton Junction

Junction with Stratford upon Avon Canal

5.5

0

N

SP053793

139

Kings Norton Tunnel (North end)

West Hill Tunnel

6.5

0

N

SP047779

139

Kings Norton Tunnel (South end)

West Hill Tunnel

8.0

0

N

SP035758

139

Hopwood Bridge No 67

Hopwood House Inn

8.8

0

N

SP020748

139

Bittell Arm and Lower Bittell Resevoir

Arm to Upper Bittell Resevoir

9.5

0

N

SP020742

139

Cooper's Hill Wharf Bridge No 64

10.5

0

N

SP020730

139

Alvechurch Bridge No 60

Alvechurch Boat Centre

11.3

0

N

SP021721

139

Shortwood Tunnel (East end)

12.3

0

N

SP015706

139

Tardebigge Old Wharf

Dartline Boatyard

13.3

0

N

SO999701

139

Tardebigge Tunnel (North end)

13.5

0

N

SO998698

139

Tardebigge Top Lock No 58

Tardebigge flight lock Nos 29 to 58

14.1

1

N

SO995692

139

Tardebigge Lock No 57

Bridge No 55

14.6

2

N

SO988689

139

Tardebigge Lock No 50

Bridge No 54

15.0

9

N

SO984685

139

Tardebigge Lock No 41

Half-way House Bridge No 51

15.5

18

N

SO975682

139

Tardebigge Bottom Lock No 29

Queens Head Inn

16.4

30

N

SO962679

150

Stoke Prior Top Lock No 28

Bridge No 47

16.5

31

N

SO961677

150

Stoke Prior Bottom Lock No 23

Stoke Wharf and Boatyard

17.3

36

N

SO952670

150

Stoke Salt Works Bridge No 42

18.0

36

N

SO943663

150

Astwood Top Lock No 22

18.5

37

N

SO940655

150

Astwood Bottom Lock No 17

19.3

42

N

SO934644

150

Summer Hill Bridge No 36

20.1

42

N

SO928634

150

Hanbury Junction

Droitwich Junction Canal junction and B4090 road bridge No 35

20.8

42

N

SO922629

150

Hammonds Bridge No 32

21.5

42

N

SO918617

150

Dunhampstead Tunnel

22.3

42

N

SO918603

150

Oddingley Bridge No 27

23.3

42

N

SO916590

150

Tibberton Bridge No 25

24.3

42

N

SO905581

150

Offerton Top Lock No 16

Tibberton Locks

25.3

43

N

SO897580

150

Offerton Bottom Lock No 11

Tibberton Locks

25.9

48

N

SO888577

150

Tolladine Lock No 10

26.0

49

N

SO877576

150

Blackpole Lock No 9

26.6

50

N

SO869576

150

Astwood Bridge No 15

Locks Nos 7 and 8

27.8

51

N

SO856570

150

Gregory's Mill Locks Nos 5 and 6

Gregory's Mill Bridge No 13

28.0

54

N

SO850565

150

Bridge Inn, Bridge No 9

Lowesmoore Basin, Boatyard

29.0

54

N

SO853553

150

Blockhouse Lock No 4

29.3

55

N

SO854546

150

Sidbury Lock No 3

Kings Head Lock

29.4

56

N

SO852544

150

Diglis Locks Nos 1 & 2, Diglis Basin

Junction with River Severn

30.0

58

N

SO848538

150

NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.

 

 

Jim Shead Waterways Photographer & Writer
Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.
Home Introduction Waterways List Waterways Map Links Books DVD
Articles Boats Photo Gallery Photo List Features Contact
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