The Wyrley and Essington Canal
Virtual Walks Too far away to visit? Don't want to go out today? I've done it for you.
Warning! - The following access details were correct at the time of my walk - but may have now changed.
*
---- view more photos in my flickr album - Wyrley and Essington Canal ---- |
*
Virtual Walks-3 From
Catshill Junction to Pelsall Junction ( 2001 onward ) Wyrley and Essington Canal |
||
Visit the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust web site to find out about the Trust that was formed in 1988 and is a registered charity. It campaigns for the restoration of the "Lichfield Canal" (as the closed section of the W&E between Ogley and Huddlesford is now called) and also the Hatherton Canal through the Cannock / A5 area. It promotes the restoration as public amenities for boating, angling, walking, cycling etc. and raises funds to carry out physical restoration work. | ||
W090 - Catshill Junction Bridge. The
footbridge crosses the start of the Rushall Canal and
leads towards Wolverhampton 18½ miles away. The foot
bridge signed BCN 1892. 15 miles and 3¼ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction Access via towpath Taken looking West - 27/09/2012. |
||
W090 - "Cycle of Life" at Catshill
Junction A sculpture from local artists Ron Thompson and Julie Edwards of Planet Art. British Waterways commissioned the piece of community artwork as part of an improvement of the canal network funded by £2 million from British Waterways and the European Regional Development Fund. Walsall Council Mayor, John Cook, and Mayoress, Lynn Staffiere, unveiled the work on 12 December 2005. Photo left - taken looking NorthEast - 10/04/2006. Photo right - copyright Planet Art. Location - https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.64116&mlon=-1.92766#map=18/52.64116/-1.92766 Access via towpath opposite the sculpture. |
||
W100
- "The Spot" footbridge or "Market Bridge" Access from Silver Street, Pier Street(pedestrianised) and Spot Lane(footpath). Taken looking NorthWest - main towpath on the left - short Silver Street towpath on the right. 15 miles and ¾ furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction The photo on the right taken 10/04/2006. Connects Clayhanger at Spot Lane (previously Little
Wyrley Road) with Brownhills. |
||
An
overflow in winter and summer December 1984 (left) and
April 2006 (right). Taken looking North. (just North of "The Spot" footbridge) Location - https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.64546&mlon=-1.93436#map=18/52.64545/-1.93436 Access via towpath |
||
W110 - Brownhills Canoe Club (or "Brownhills Canoe and Outdoor Centre") (or Royal Sutton Coldfield Canoe Club) The Club state ...
"We officially opened our doors in June 2006
during the Brownhills Canal Festival Location - https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.64612&mlon=-1.93491#map=18/52.64612/-1.93491 Taken looking North - 16/07/2006. |
||
W120 - Brownhills Basin & wharfs ---- LMS Railway Interchange Basins On the left before housing development and the Brownhills Canoe and Outdoor Centre
arrived. On the right with housing development and
the Brownhills Canoe and Outdoor Centre.
14 mile and 7½ furlongs from
Horseley Fields Junction Viewed from towpath (Access via "The Spot" footbridge from Silver Street) |
||
W130 -
The Midland Railway bridge route
from Birmingham to Wolverhampton via Walsall was opened
in 1879. To provide access to the coalfields in the
Chasewater area a branch line of about five miles was
planned from the "Sutton Park Line" at Aldridge
and the branch line serving Brownhills coal mines opened
to goods in November 1882.In 1962 goods services finally
withdrawn with the closure of local pits and the line
closed. General view taken looking East - close-up taken looking North. Access via towpath 14 mile and 6 furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
W140 - Coopers
Bridge carries a farm lane to Swingbridge Farm(disused)
once run by a Mr. Cooper. A earlier swing bridge crossed
the canal at this point, giving the name to the farm. Taken looking West. Access from towpath or Lapwing Close 14 mile and 5¾ furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction |
||
W150
- "Pelsall Old Railway Bridge" Rail bridge - which did carry the South Staffordshire Railway to Brownhills. The track bed is currently a walkway - "The McClean Way" On the left - taken looking North - 08/08/2018. On the right - The north-west corner of the Bridge - 08/08/2018. Access access via steps from "The McClean Way" 14 miles and 4½ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
W160
- Becks Bridge (under Pelsall Road (A4124)) -
bridge is dated 1997. On the left - taken looking North - 08/08/2018. On the right - The southern face of the Bridge - 08/08/2018. Access via towpath - No Access from Pelsall Road. 14 miles and 4 furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction |
||
W170 - Jolly
Collier Bridge - under Coppice Side. The Jolly
Collier public house was at the nearby corner of Coppice
Side and Pelsall Road. Taken looking West. Access via steps to Coppice Side 14 miles and 2¼ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
W180 - Old South
Staffordshire Railway bridge now Beacon Way long
distance walk over canal. The view on the right shows an
alcove in brickwork of bridge to allow for planks to
block canal for drainage, etc. Taken looking West. Access via towpath or steps from Beacon Way 14 miles and 1 furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction |
||
The
Beacon Way - The sign dated 1997 reads "South
Staffordshire Railway 1858, Norton Branch, Closed 1975".
Taken from Beacon Way on bridge - looking East Access along canal via steps or from Beacon Way. 14 miles and 1 furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction |
||
W210 - Engine Lane Bridge Those who follow the Beacon Way north along the line of the railway will come to Engine Lane (footpath) to the left and Coppice Lane to the right. The bridge crosses the remains of the canal arm that connected the Wyrley and Essington Canal to the coal mines of Brownhills West. Location - https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.64919&mlon=-1.95277#map=18/52.64920/-1.95276 |
||
W220 - High
Bridge Bridge Under Pelsall Road/Lichfield Road (A4124).
Also known as "the high bridges" as the locals
used to call them when the Pelsall Road crossed both the
canal and the adjacent railway Taken looking Northeast, back towards Brownhills. Access from Lichfield Road (A4124) via steps 13 miles and 5½ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
"the high bridges" in December
1984 when the previous twin bridges were replaced. At the
time some of the older locals were worried that pile-driving
for the foundations would find a reputed unexploded bomb
from the Second World War - if the bomb was down there,
it is still down there, still unexploded! On the left taken looking Northeast back towards Brownhills. On the right taken looking Southwest towards Pelsall. 13 miles and 5½ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
W230 - Gilpins Arm - the photo on the
right is the site of the start of the arm. Until a recent
house build, the other end of the arm could still seen as
a wide ditch at the side of Norton Road, opposite Green
Lane, Pelsall. Taken looking Northeast, back towards Brownhills. Access via towpath. Location - https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.63658&mlon=-1.96249#map=18/52.63658/-1.96249 |
||
W240 - Yorks Foundry Bridge - Under
Lichfield Road (A4124). The current bridge is a modern
widening of the original. On the left taken looking North. On the right taken looking South back towards Brownhills. Access from Lichfield Road. 13 miles and 2½ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
W245 - a new York's Bridge - Under Norton
Road (B4154). Taken looking south - 14/4/2024. Access from Norton Road (B4154) - around the back of the pub. Yorks Bridge replacement scheme. Walsall Council is seeking to replace the existing Yorks Bridge on Norton Road in Pelsall (while leaving the original bridge intact.) Groundwork in preperation for the new bridge. 13 miles and 1 furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction.looking
north at
|
||
W250 -
York's Bridge - Under Norton Road (B4154). Taken looking West - 2/6/2007. Access from Norton Road (B4154) - around the back of the pub. The photo on the left with "The Fingerpost Pub" to the left. The photo on the right from 2001 as the Royal Oak pub (Ansells) to the left. 13 miles and 1 furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction York's Bridge - Taken looking East - 2/6/2007. |
||
W260 - Pelsall Junction Bridge footbridge taken looking West - 17/1/2014. Access from Pelsall via Nest Common on the left. Access from the Cannock Extension Canal and
Pelsall North Common 12 miles and 7½ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
||
Friar Bridge - at the start of Cannock
Extension branch. Taken looking North from Pelsall Junction - 17/1/2014. Access from Pelsall North Common.
The sign indicates what was the plan for connecting a
restored Hatherton Branch Canal to the W&E via the
Cannock Extension branch. Due to various problems the
LHCRT now plan that a connection to the W&E will be a
little farther along the route to Wolverhampton. Location - https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.63838&mlon=-1.97263#map=18/52.63838/-1.97263 |
||
W270 - Pelsall Junction - 12
miles 7¼ furlongs from Horseley Fields Junction,
Wolverhampton. Taken looking North from Pelsall Junction - 17/1/2014. Left onward towards Wolverhampton. ( See Virtual Walks-7 ) 12 miles and 7¼ furlongs from Horseley Fields
Junction |
*
Have a look HERE for W&E Flickr photos and information. |
*
V1.12 - 15 April 2024 ---- recommended resolution (1366 x 768)
© David Hodgkinson 2000-2024. All rights reserved.