Our Part-Time Life on The Little Green Boat

Day 20 Friday 10 October

Tipton to Birmingham City Centre

This morning we left our overnight mooring at Tipton in brilliant sunshine & headed towards Birmingham. From Tipton there are 2 possible routes that run parallel; Brindley's "Old Line" or Telford's "New Line". We have used Telford's New Line on several occasions - it's a straight wide canal that in many places runs in a cutting with very high sides which prevents you seeing the scenery, I guess it could be considered the canal version of a motorway, direct & functional! When Telford's New Line was finished in 1829 it reduced the journey by a third. The last time we came this way the Old Line was closed for maintenance so we didn't have an option so today we will be taking Brindley's Old Line back to the City Centre.

Shortly after leaving we passed a statue of William Perry aka "The Tipton Slasher" who was a bare knuckle fighter & champion between 1850-1857

William Perry - Local Champ!

Having never used this route before I was surprised how pretty it was in places; it was very green with very clear water in contrast of what looks like thick black water on the New Line. There was a lot of new houses that would have been built on former industrial sites many of which had attractive waterfront outlooks.

New houses at Dudley Port

With open spaces this looked like an ideal spot to check your hose was working!

Training Exercise?

The Old Line then crosses the Netherton Branch on an aqueduct; this is a branch from the New Line into the Netherton Tunnel which was one of the last canal tunnels to be built. We have been this way twice before on our way to/from Stourport

Entrance to the 3027 yard long Netherton Tunnel

There are 4 places where you can get from the Old to the New line & Brades Hall Junction is about halfway along & has the only staircase lock on the BCN; wherever you go from the Old to the New Lines you have to go through 3 locks

Brades Staircase Lock

A short while after this we were in the shadows of the M5 which seemed to have some delays, in a section of about a mile the M5 crosses the canal 5 times

BCN Old Line with M5 above

Approach to Oldbury Junction under the M5

After passing Spon Lane Junction which is another link between Old & New Lines we shortly reached the Summit Tunnel

Summit Tunnel at Smethwick BCN Old Line

Brasshouse Lane Pumping Station

The building in the picture above was built in 1892 was a pumping station as water on this Old Line was often low & they pumped water from the New Line below.

We then reached the Smethwick Locks which marks the end of this section & we went down the 3 locks that took us onto the Birmingham level.