Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal

The Staffordshire - Worcestershire Canal ( original: Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal ) is a Narrowboatkanal in the Midlands in England. The canal begins in Stourport -on-Severn in Worcestershire and ends after 74 km in Staffordshire on the channel crossing Haywood Junction in Great Haywood / Staffordshire to the Trent and Mersey Canal.

History

Construction phase

James Brindley was the engineer conducting channel for this channel, which was part of his plan, a canal cruise ( Grand Cross) in England between the end points of Liverpool in the northwest to the southeast and London as well as to build between Bristol and Hull in the southwest to the northeast.

The canal was authorized by a decree on May 14, 1766 Act of Parliament. Thus, the company owns the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal was founded. Equipped with the right to demand of its shareholders an initial amount of £ 70,000, and £ 30,000 more if it turned out that the original sum is not sufficient.

The construction of the canal was completed in 1771 and 1772 was followed by the opening of traffic. Although the calculated construction costs, were initially significantly exceeded, but the channel was an immediate commercial success. For this mainly attended pottery mass-produced goods from the so-called " Potteries " (today: Stoke -on-Trent ), which were shipped south to Gloucester and Bristol. In the opposite direction were mainly goods from the Black Country, the industrial area around Birmingham, transported to Stoke on Trent.

Development

Another Act of Parliament from the June 9, 1790 allowed the canal company to improve the connection to the Severn at Sourport. There are four internal docks that could be over two wider locks also on the Severn Trows, the freighter model, the mainly was used on the Severn, driven arisen. In the harbor then found the transhipment of goods from the Trows place in the smaller and considerably narrower Narrowboats for further transport to the channel.

Competition

Traffic and freight volumes declined, particularly in the southern leg of the channel as the Worcester - Birmingham Canal opened in 1815. Last proceeded on a more direct route between Birmingham and Bristol. To remain competitive, one first the floodgates finally extended the opening times of the locks gradually, until 1830 around the clock were ready. Another setback was the opening of the Birmingham - Liverpool - connection channel that led from Autherley Junction to Chester. To ensure that the northern part of the channel lost a large part of the freight traffic to Great Haywood to the Trent - Mersey canal. Thus, the channel was up to a 500 m long section between Alderley Junction and Junction Autherley broke practical. In order to achieve even at all sufficient revenue, freight rates were on this short section still further increased, until finally the Birmingham Canal Company and the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Company threatening to over the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal across to their channels by Aqueduct connect. Given the danger, now losing the revenue from the last profitable channel path, the Board decided to lower the freight rates again.

Decline

Even under the influence of competition with the railways remained the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company nevertheless economically successful and paid up to the turn of the century from the 19th to the 20th century dividends to shareholders. Although is also to be noted that the yields declined markedly since about 1860. The canal company remained until the nationalization of the canal network in 1947 independently. In recent years, self-employment was the main freight transport from the coal transport between the coal mine in Cannock and the coal-fired power plant near Stourport. The latter ended the operation already in 1949. Afterwards there were commercial freight only on the section between the Aldersley and the Autherley junction. There was and is the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at 500 m channel route the necessary link between the Birmingham Canal Network ( " BCN " ) and the Shropshire Union Canal.

Restoration

In 1959 the channel to be abandoned. A group of channel enthusiasts who organized themselves into the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Company, the Canal, however, saved from closure. The canal was classified in 1968 as a regular water side, and already it of one year - compared with German law - as a historical monument. This led ultimately to the fact that historic buildings and channel devices have been preserved and restored.

Related canals and waterways

The channel is linked to the following other waterways:

• Severn at Stourport
• Stourbridge Canal at Stourton Junction
• BCN Main Line at Aldersley Junction
• Shropshire Union Canal at Junction Autherley
• Hatherton Canal ( an abandoned channel, which still awaits its re-commissioning ) at Hatherton Junction

The southern half of the channel forms a segment of the Stourport Ring, a popular among boaters circular route west and south of Birmingham.

The northern half of the channel forms a segment of the Four Counties ring, also a popular circular route west and north of Birmingham.