The Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), a network of narrow canals in the industrial midlands of England, is built on various water levels. The three longest are the Wolverhampton, Birmingham, and Walsall levels. Locks allow boats to move from a canal on one level to one on another.
Heights quoted are the distance above sea level in feet.
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A historical level, no longer existing. A branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal, now filled in. It was the highest point of the BCN.
The highest canal currently in BCN. It was fed from the 18th century Titford Reservoir (now under Junction 2 of the M5 motorway) originally by feeder, and since 1837 by the Titford Canal. A feeder from the Tat Bank Branch (also known as Spon Lane Branch) supplies water to the Edgbaston Reservoir.
A historical level, no longer existing. The highest level designed by James Brindley for his Birmingham Canal (BCN Old Main Line). Removed by John Smeaton's design in 1790. However, the line of the abandoned Smethwick Summit could still followed, by walking, some 200 years later.
A total of 35 miles navigable with no locks:
Connecting canals, not part of the BCN, but using this level:
Reservoirs were built to collect water from streams. As water flows downhill these had to be above the relevant canal water level, often having to be some distance away. The small Titford Reservoir (Titford Pool), as well as feeding the Titford Canal had its surplus water taken to Edgbaston Reservoir along a feeder through Smethwick. Water from Edgbaston Reservoir fed both the Wolverhampton Level, via a long feeder along the top of a raised embankment along Telford's BCN New Main Line to the Engine Arm, and also the Birmingham Level at the adjacent Icknield Port Loop.
Water was a precious resource, spent each time a lock was emptied as a boat changed level. Steam pumps were employed at many flights of locks to pump water back to a higher level, for example, the Smethwick Engine.