Tame Valley Canal

Perry Barr top lock and keepers cottage No 86
Tame Valley Canal
Tame Valley Junction (Doe Bank Junction), Walsall Canal
A41 road
Aqueduct over River Tame
South Staffordshire line at Golds Hill Wharf
Midland Metro
A4031 (Walsall Road)
Hateley Heath Aqueduct (over Hydes Road)
Navigation Lane aqeduct
Grand Junction Aqueduct over Chase Line
    and Tame Bridge Parkway station
Aqueduct over M5 motorway slip road
Aqueduct over River Tame
Toll island
Rushall Junction, Rushall Canal
M5 motorway slip road
A4041 (Newton Road)
Chimney Bridge, Green Lane (iron footbridge, 1844)
Goose Farm (Hamstead Wharf) bridge
Pier island near Hamstead Wharf
Spouthouse Lane aqueduct
Piercy aqueduct
Freeth bridge (Tower Hill bridge) (now footbridge)
A34 road
Perry Barr locks 1-7 and lock-keepers' cottages

Perry Reservoir (underground pipe)
M6 motorway
Perry Barr locks 8-10
A453 road
Perry Barr lock 11
M6
Perry Barr lock 12
Perry Barr lock 13
A38(M) motorway and Gravelly Hill Interchange↑
Cross-City Line↑
Toll island↑
End of Tame Valley Canal↑
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal (to Birmingham), Salford Junction↑
Grand Union Canal, Salford Junction↑
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal (to Fazeley)
↑ - section under Gravelly Hill Interchange

The Tame Valley Canal is a relatively late (1844) canal in the West Midlands of England. It forms part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. It takes its name from the roughly-parallel River Tame.

Geography

The canal runs from Tame Valley Junction where it joins the Walsall Canal near Ocker Hill and Toll End, and terminates at Salford Junction where it meets the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal and the Grand Union Canal. It is 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and has twin towpaths throughout.

Between Tame Valley Junction and Rushall Junction it goes under the Midland Metro near Wednesbury and crosses over the former Grand Junction Railway (now part of the Chase Line) by aqueduct, near Tame Bridge Parkway railway station (an unusual case of the railway pre-dating a neighbouring canal).

It passes over the M5 motorway near the interchange with the M6 motorway (M6 junction 8) and joins the Rushall Canal at Rushall Junction, inside the triangle formed by the motorway junction. East of Rushall Junction the canal passes under another arm of the M5. At Hamstead the remains of a wharf can be seen, This served the former Hamstead Colliery. Further east, there are two more aqueducts (Spouthouse Lane and Piercy, the latter over the Old Walsall Road), and a deep cutting in 200-million-year-old sandstone, under Freeth Bridge (now restricted to pedestrians and bikes only) at Tower Hill. There are no locks on this section, which is at the Walsall Level, but it passes over eight aqueducts within five miles (seven of which are original).

The thirteen Perry Barr Locks, where the level drops 106 feet, start just beyond the A34. The original lock keepers cottages remain. In the adjacent Perry Park, near Alexander Stadium, is Perry Reservoir, a feeder reservoir fed by a stream from the lake at Great Barr Hall. From there, the canal passes under the M6 three times, including Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction), shortly after which it terminates, at Salford Junction.

History

1901 map showing the former canal basin at Hamstead

The canal was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1839 and opened in 1844. Its engineer was James Walker.

Features

Point Coordinates
(Links to map resources)		 OS Grid Ref Notes
Tame Valley Junction 52°32′24″N 2°02′07″W / 52.5400°N 2.0354°W / 52.5400; -2.0354 (Tame Valley Junction) SO976936 0.0 miles
Gold Hill Wharf (approx, site of) 52°32′28″N 2°01′40″W / 52.5412°N 2.0278°W / 52.5412; -2.0278 (Gold Hill Wharf (approx, site of)) SO981937 0.4
Midland Metro 52°32′34″N 2°01′08″W / 52.5429°N 2.0188°W / 52.5429; -2.0188 (Midland Metro) SO987939 0.7
Holloway Bank Wharf (site of) 52°32′42″N 2°00′40″W / 52.545°N 2.011°W / 52.545; -2.011 (Holloway Bank Wharf (site of)) SO992941 1.0
Chase Line crossing 52°33′04″N 1°58′30″W / 52.5512°N 1.9750°W / 52.5512; -1.9750 (Chase Line crossing) SP016948 2.7
M5 motorway aqueduct (west arm) 52°33′06″N 1°58′17″W / 52.5517°N 1.9713°W / 52.5517; -1.9713 (M5 motorway aqueduct(west arm)) SP019949 2.9
River Tame 52°33′05″N 1°57′58″W / 52.5513°N 1.9661°W / 52.5513; -1.9661 (River Tame) SP022948 3.1
Rushall Junction 52°33′01″N 1°57′23″W / 52.5504°N 1.9565°W / 52.5504; -1.9565 (Rushall Junction) SP029947 3.5
M5 motorway (east arm) 52°32′59″N 1°57′20″W / 52.5498°N 1.9555°W / 52.5498; -1.9555 (M5 motorway (east arm)) SP030947 3.6
Newton Road (A4041) 52°32′38″N 1°56′54″W / 52.5438°N 1.94832°W / 52.5438; -1.94832 (Newton Road (A4041)) SP035940 4.0
Chimney Bridge 52°32′34″N 1°56′50″W / 52.5427°N 1.9471°W / 52.5427; -1.9471 (Chimney Bridge) SP035939 4.1
Hamstead Wharf and basin (site of) 52°32′20″N 1°56′25″W / 52.5389°N 1.9403°W / 52.5389; -1.9403 (Hamstead Wharf and basin (site of)) SP038936 4.4
Spouthouse Lane Aqueduct 52°32′15″N 1°56′06″W / 52.5374°N 1.9349°W / 52.5374; -1.9349 (Spouthouse Lane Aqueduct) SP044933 4.7
Piercy Aqueduct 52°32′10″N 1°55′49″W / 52.5360°N 1.9302°W / 52.5360; -1.9302 (Piercy Aqueduct) SP047931 5.0
Freeth Bridge 52°31′59″N 1°55′13″W / 52.5331°N 1.9203°W / 52.5331; -1.9203 (Freeth Bridge) SP054928 5.4
A34 road 52°31′57″N 1°54′56″W / 52.5326°N 1.9155°W / 52.5326; -1.9155 (A34) SP057927 5.6
Perry Barr Top Lock (1) 52°31′57″N 1°54′52″W / 52.5326°N 1.9144°W / 52.5326; -1.9144 (Perry Barr Top Lock (1)) SP061927 5.6
Perry Barr Lock 2 52°31′58″N 1°54′45″W / 52.5327°N 1.9126°W / 52.5327; -1.9126 (Perry Barr Lock 2) SP059928 5.7
Perry Barr Lock 3 52°31′58″N 1°54′39″W / 52.5327°N 1.9109°W / 52.5327; -1.9109 (Perry Barr Lock 3) SP060928 5.8
Perry Barr Lock 4 52°31′58″N 1°54′33″W / 52.5327°N 1.9091°W / 52.5327; -1.9091 (Perry Barr Lock 4) SP061928 5.8
Perry Barr Lock 5 52°31′58″N 1°54′26″W / 52.5328°N 1.9073°W / 52.5328; -1.9073 (Perry Barr Lock 5) SP062928 5.9
Perry Barr Lock 6 52°31′58″N 1°54′20″W / 52.5328°N 1.9056°W / 52.5328; -1.9056 (Perry Barr Lock 6) SP064928 6.0
Perry Barr Lock 7 52°31′58″N 1°54′14″W / 52.5329°N 1.9039°W / 52.5329; -1.9039 (Perry Barr Lock 7) SP065928 6.1
Perry Reservoir 52°31′55″N 1°54′09″W / 52.5320°N 1.9024°W / 52.5320; -1.9024 (Perry Reservoir) SP066927 6.2
M6 motorway 52°31′58″N 1°54′00″W / 52.5328°N 1.9000°W / 52.5328; -1.9000 (M6) SP067928 6.3
Perry Barr Lock 8 52°31′54″N 1°53′46″W / 52.5318°N 1.8961°W / 52.5318; -1.8961 (Perry Barr Lock 8) SP070927 6.4
Perry Barr Lock 9 52°31′51″N 1°53′38″W / 52.5308°N 1.8938°W / 52.5308; -1.8938 (Perry Barr Lock 9) SP072925 6.5
Perry Barr Lock 10 52°31′48″N 1°53′33″W / 52.5301°N 1.8924°W / 52.5301; -1.8924 (Perry Barr Lock 10) SP072925 6.6
College Road (A453) 52°31′48″N 1°53′31″W / 52.5299°N 1.8920°W / 52.5299; -1.8920 (College Road (A453)) SP073924 6.6
Perry Barr Lock 11 52°31′43″N 1°53′21″W / 52.5285°N 1.8892°W / 52.5285; -1.8892 (Perry Barr Lock 11) SP075923 6.7
M6 motorway 52°31′22″N 1°52′53″W / 52.5229°N 1.8815°W / 52.5229; -1.8815 (M6 motorway) SP080917 7.2
Perry Barr Lock 12 (Witton Locks) 52°30′53″N 1°52′21″W / 52.5148°N 1.8725°W / 52.5148; -1.8725 (Perry Barr Lock 12 (Witton Locks)) SP086908 7.8
Perry Barr Lock 13 (Witton Locks) 52°30′50″N 1°52′16″W / 52.5140°N 1.8712°W / 52.5140; -1.8712 (Perry Barr Lock 13 (Witton Locks)) SP087907 7.9
Cross-City Line 52°30′42″N 1°51′59″W / 52.5118°N 1.8665°W / 52.5118; -1.8665 (Cross-City Line) SP090904 8.2
Gravelly Hill Interchange 52°30′40″N 1°51′55″W / 52.5111°N 1.8652°W / 52.5111; -1.8652 (Gravelly Hill Interchange (Spaghetti Junction)) SP091904 8.4
Lichfield Road (A5127) 52°30′32″N 1°51′37″W / 52.5089°N 1.8603°W / 52.5089; -1.8603 (Lichfield Road (A5127)) SP094901 8.5
Salford Junction 52°30′31″N 1°51′35″W / 52.5087°N 1.8598°W / 52.5087; -1.8598 (Salford Junction (Tame Valley Canal)) SP095901 8.5

See also

References

Coordinates: 52°32′38″N 1°56′54″W / 52.5438°N 1.94832°W / 52.5438; -1.94832

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