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Bentley Canal
The Bentley Canal is an abandoned canal that was part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in England. A very short section still exists where it joins the Wyrley and Essington Canal in Wolverhampton. From there it headed generally southeast through Willenhall and Walsall and connected with the Anson Branch and thus the Walsall Canal. The main line opened in 1843, with the Neachell Hall Branch following two years later. The branch closed in 1953 and the main line in the early 1960s.
In 1820, the Birmingham Canal Company had approached the Wyrley and Essington Canal, with a view to amalgamation. This had been declined, but from 1825 mineowners in the Walsall area petitioned for a junction between the two systems. Nothing happened for some years, but in 1837, Walsall Town Council began pushing both companies for a solution. After much disagreement, the Wyrley and Essington announced that they were ready to apply for an act of Parliament to authorise the construction of a junction at Walsall, which led to the Birmingham Canal Company agreeing to amalgamation. Both signed an agreement to proceed on 9 February 1840, and an act of Parliament, the Wyrley and Essington Canal Navigation Act 1840 (3 & 4 Vict. c. xxiv) was obtained to April to authorise the move. The Bentley Canal was one of three links between the systems built shortly afterwards. The other two were the Walsall Junction Canal, which linked the north end of the Walsall Canal to Birchills Junction, and the Rushall Canal, between the Tame Valley Canal and the Daw End Branch of the Wyrley and Essington.
In 1828, the company completed a branch to Ridgeacre at huge cost, and accepted an estimate for the Bentley Branch of £7,135, but they were in the middle of a much bigger enterprise, to lower the level of their main summit, and no further action appears to have been taken concerning the Bentley Branch. In 1839, work on the Tame Valley Canal began, under the direction of Messrs Walker and Burgess, who were the engineers. James Walker suggested that it should be built following a different line to that specified in the Birmingham Canal Navigations Act 1839 (2 & 3 Vict. c. lxi), the act of Parliament that authorised the canal and the committee approved his revised plans. When there was opposition to the new line from landowners, the committee agreed to revert to the original line, but Walker was infuriated, and wrote a long letter to them. They reconsidered, and agreed to proceed with Walker's new line, for which they obtained a new act of Parliament, the Wyrley and Essington Canal Navigation Act 1840 (3 & 4 Vict. c. xxiv). By August 1840, work on the Tame Valley Canal was progressing well, and Walker turned his attention to the Bentley Canal. He suggested that they dispense with the ten locks authorised by the act, and instead build two sections of level canal, one running from the Anson Branch at the Walsall level, continuing as far as was possible before higher ground prevented further progress, and another running from Wood Green to Portobello, on the same level. The committee again agreed with him.
Tenders were invited for the level canals, and prices received ranged from £11,300 to £27,691. The cheapest one was accepted, with four per cent of the cost going to Walker and Burgess. In June 1841, the committee approved plans to connect the Bentley Branch to the Wednesfield level through four locks, and then proceeding to the Wyrley and Essington Canal. The Wednesfield section was estimated to cost £6,850, and tenders for the whole thing ranged from £19,208 to £28,500. Of the thirteen tenders received, they opted for the cheapest. Effectively, this reinstated the parliamentary line, in place of Walker's level canals. John Merry reported on progress in October 1842, noting that there were grooves for stop planks at every bridge, and they were all fitted with iron plates to prevent ropes wearing away the brickwork. Coping stones along the top of the locks were of Derbyshire stone, and the entrances to the locks had iron fenders to prevent damage to the brickwork. Each lock had a single paddle, operated by a windlass and rack.
Merry had suggested that the canal would be open by January 1843, but the opening was delayed until 28 April. Soon afterwards, Walker's plan for the level Wood Green branch was dropped. The canal as built ran for 3.4 miles (5.5 km) through 10 locks. At its western end, it started at Wednesfield Junction, and the Wednesfield flight of six locks descended between there and the junction with the Neachells Branch. The Sandbeds flight consisted of another four locks, a little more than half way along the canal. The canal fell into dereliction in the 1960s. The 2.46-mile (3.96 km) section from east of Neachells Bridge, near the bottom lock of the Wednesfield flight to its junction with the Anson Branch, was abandoned as a result of the British Transport Commission Act 1961 (9 & 10 Eliz. 2. c. xxxvi).
The official end of the navigable section was at a brick and girder bridge, located between Lock 6 and the Neachells Branch. The lane that it carried has now been replaced by the A4124 Lakefield Road. The Wednesfield Locks were in theory still open until 1985, but could not be navigated as there was heavy silting, the paddle gear on the locks had been removed, and rubbish had been dumped into the canal.
The Neachells Branch was a short branch of 0.4 miles (0.64 km) which opened in 1845 to serve Neachell Hall Colliery. It closed in 1953, and its abandonment was formally authorised by the British Transport Commission Act 1953 (1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. xlii).
The Bentley Canal left the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Wednesfield Junction. A cast iron bridge carried the towpath over the junction, and is still in situ. It dates from the mid-nineteenth century, and is a grade II listed structure. A short section of the canal remains in water, and is used for moorings for the Nickelodeon canalside pub. The first lock was located immediately to the east of the watered stub, and was followed by two more. The canal is heading east at this point, and the towpath was located on the south bank. The remains of old quarries were on both sides of the canal, and there was a metal works washing plant on the north bank in the 1950s. Bradburn's Bridge carried a railway siding over the tail of the third lock. Beyond the bridge, Wolverhampton Metal Works occupied the south bank and there was a foundry on the north bank, although it had been a chocolate and confectionery works in 1902. The fourth lock was immediately before Well Lane Bridge. Between here and Neachells Bridge, there was a metal recovery works and allotment gardens on the north bank, and a cabinet works and two colour works to the south. This whole area has been redeveloped since the canal closed, although Well Lane and Neachells Lane still follow their original courses.
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Bentley Canal
The Bentley Canal is an abandoned canal that was part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations in England. A very short section still exists where it joins the Wyrley and Essington Canal in Wolverhampton. From there it headed generally southeast through Willenhall and Walsall and connected with the Anson Branch and thus the Walsall Canal. The main line opened in 1843, with the Neachell Hall Branch following two years later. The branch closed in 1953 and the main line in the early 1960s.
In 1820, the Birmingham Canal Company had approached the Wyrley and Essington Canal, with a view to amalgamation. This had been declined, but from 1825 mineowners in the Walsall area petitioned for a junction between the two systems. Nothing happened for some years, but in 1837, Walsall Town Council began pushing both companies for a solution. After much disagreement, the Wyrley and Essington announced that they were ready to apply for an act of Parliament to authorise the construction of a junction at Walsall, which led to the Birmingham Canal Company agreeing to amalgamation. Both signed an agreement to proceed on 9 February 1840, and an act of Parliament, the Wyrley and Essington Canal Navigation Act 1840 (3 & 4 Vict. c. xxiv) was obtained to April to authorise the move. The Bentley Canal was one of three links between the systems built shortly afterwards. The other two were the Walsall Junction Canal, which linked the north end of the Walsall Canal to Birchills Junction, and the Rushall Canal, between the Tame Valley Canal and the Daw End Branch of the Wyrley and Essington.
In 1828, the company completed a branch to Ridgeacre at huge cost, and accepted an estimate for the Bentley Branch of £7,135, but they were in the middle of a much bigger enterprise, to lower the level of their main summit, and no further action appears to have been taken concerning the Bentley Branch. In 1839, work on the Tame Valley Canal began, under the direction of Messrs Walker and Burgess, who were the engineers. James Walker suggested that it should be built following a different line to that specified in the Birmingham Canal Navigations Act 1839 (2 & 3 Vict. c. lxi), the act of Parliament that authorised the canal and the committee approved his revised plans. When there was opposition to the new line from landowners, the committee agreed to revert to the original line, but Walker was infuriated, and wrote a long letter to them. They reconsidered, and agreed to proceed with Walker's new line, for which they obtained a new act of Parliament, the Wyrley and Essington Canal Navigation Act 1840 (3 & 4 Vict. c. xxiv). By August 1840, work on the Tame Valley Canal was progressing well, and Walker turned his attention to the Bentley Canal. He suggested that they dispense with the ten locks authorised by the act, and instead build two sections of level canal, one running from the Anson Branch at the Walsall level, continuing as far as was possible before higher ground prevented further progress, and another running from Wood Green to Portobello, on the same level. The committee again agreed with him.
Tenders were invited for the level canals, and prices received ranged from £11,300 to £27,691. The cheapest one was accepted, with four per cent of the cost going to Walker and Burgess. In June 1841, the committee approved plans to connect the Bentley Branch to the Wednesfield level through four locks, and then proceeding to the Wyrley and Essington Canal. The Wednesfield section was estimated to cost £6,850, and tenders for the whole thing ranged from £19,208 to £28,500. Of the thirteen tenders received, they opted for the cheapest. Effectively, this reinstated the parliamentary line, in place of Walker's level canals. John Merry reported on progress in October 1842, noting that there were grooves for stop planks at every bridge, and they were all fitted with iron plates to prevent ropes wearing away the brickwork. Coping stones along the top of the locks were of Derbyshire stone, and the entrances to the locks had iron fenders to prevent damage to the brickwork. Each lock had a single paddle, operated by a windlass and rack.
Merry had suggested that the canal would be open by January 1843, but the opening was delayed until 28 April. Soon afterwards, Walker's plan for the level Wood Green branch was dropped. The canal as built ran for 3.4 miles (5.5 km) through 10 locks. At its western end, it started at Wednesfield Junction, and the Wednesfield flight of six locks descended between there and the junction with the Neachells Branch. The Sandbeds flight consisted of another four locks, a little more than half way along the canal. The canal fell into dereliction in the 1960s. The 2.46-mile (3.96 km) section from east of Neachells Bridge, near the bottom lock of the Wednesfield flight to its junction with the Anson Branch, was abandoned as a result of the British Transport Commission Act 1961 (9 & 10 Eliz. 2. c. xxxvi).
The official end of the navigable section was at a brick and girder bridge, located between Lock 6 and the Neachells Branch. The lane that it carried has now been replaced by the A4124 Lakefield Road. The Wednesfield Locks were in theory still open until 1985, but could not be navigated as there was heavy silting, the paddle gear on the locks had been removed, and rubbish had been dumped into the canal.
The Neachells Branch was a short branch of 0.4 miles (0.64 km) which opened in 1845 to serve Neachell Hall Colliery. It closed in 1953, and its abandonment was formally authorised by the British Transport Commission Act 1953 (1 & 2 Eliz. 2. c. xlii).
The Bentley Canal left the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Wednesfield Junction. A cast iron bridge carried the towpath over the junction, and is still in situ. It dates from the mid-nineteenth century, and is a grade II listed structure. A short section of the canal remains in water, and is used for moorings for the Nickelodeon canalside pub. The first lock was located immediately to the east of the watered stub, and was followed by two more. The canal is heading east at this point, and the towpath was located on the south bank. The remains of old quarries were on both sides of the canal, and there was a metal works washing plant on the north bank in the 1950s. Bradburn's Bridge carried a railway siding over the tail of the third lock. Beyond the bridge, Wolverhampton Metal Works occupied the south bank and there was a foundry on the north bank, although it had been a chocolate and confectionery works in 1902. The fourth lock was immediately before Well Lane Bridge. Between here and Neachells Bridge, there was a metal recovery works and allotment gardens on the north bank, and a cabinet works and two colour works to the south. This whole area has been redeveloped since the canal closed, although Well Lane and Neachells Lane still follow their original courses.