29800 - a photo on Flickriver

29800

            The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. 

James Brindley was the chief engineer of the canal, which was part of his "Grand Cross" plan for waterways connecting Hull, Liverpool and Bristol. The Act of Parliament authorising the canal was passed on 14 May 1766. This created "The Company of Proprietors of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Navigation", which was empowered to raise an initial £70,000 (equivalent to £8,778,850 in 2015), with a further £30,000 (equivalent to £3,762,364 in 2015), if needed, to fund the canal's construction.

The canal was completed in 1771 for a cost that exceeded the authorised capital, and opened to trade in 1772. It was a commercial success, with trade from the Staffordshire Potteries southwards to Gloucester and Bristol, and trade from the Black Country northwards to the Potteries via the junction with the Birmingham Canal at Aldersley. The Company obtained a second Act of Parliament on 9 June 1790, authorising it to raise another £12,000 (equivalent to £1,293,159 in 2015), to improve the River Severn immediately below Stourport as far as Diglis, to improve navigation to and from the canal. 

Trade declined when the newer Worcester and Birmingham Canal was opened in 1815, providing a more direct route between Birmingham and Bristol. To remain competitive, the company increased the hours when locks could be used, until by 1830 they were available 24 hours a day. Another setback occurred when the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal opened its new route to Chester and Merseyside, meeting the canal at Autherley Junction. This took much of the traffic from the section to Great Haywood. Faced with a high volume of trade using the half-mile stretch between Aldersley and Autherley Junctions, the company levied very high tolls.

In order to resolve the situation the Birmingham Canal Company and the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Company jointly promoted an Act of Parliament to authorise a short canal that would have left the Birmingham Canal at a higher level than the junction, crossed the Staffordshire and Worcestershire by an aqueduct, and then dropped down by a series of locks to join the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal north of Autherley junction. The canal company decided to reduce its tolls rather than lose the trade altogether. 

Despite the competition, and later competition from the railways, the canal company paid dividends to its shareholders until the end of the 19th century, although profits fell steadily from the 1860s. It remained independent until the Transport Act 1947 nationalised Britain's canals on 1 January 1948. In its latter years the major trade was in coal from Cannock to a power station at Stourport. The power station closed in 1949, and after that, the only commercial traffic was on the stretch between Autherley and Aldersley Junctions.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough (show map)

Taken on: December 28, 2016

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James Brindley

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Dunstall Water Bridge No 63

Dunstall Water Bridge

Aldersley Road « less

Sets appears in: • Wolverhampton • Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal more » • West Midlands « less

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Camera: Nikon D500, f/4.0, 1/80 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D500
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.013 sec (1/80)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-0.4 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Windows Photo Editor 10.0.10011.16384
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