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Canals of Birmingham

The lost arm of William James touches on canals, mines and railway subjects. An early railway terminus on Newhall Hill might have been one possibility for Birmingham and a group of new canal side warehouses in George Street, another outcome. As it was the private canal arm provided access to a wide range of different Birmingham businesses. These included the first Nickel refinery in Birmingham, coal merchants, cut glass workers, cycle makers, electroplaters, gun makers, metallic bedstead makers, pin makers, sand getters, timber merchants and wire drawers.

The first part of the arm was made by 1808 and the rest by 1820. That part west of Newhall Hill was filled in quite early, but the rest was closed after 1950.
 
Canal Hunter, Alan Tidy, has added further canal history videos on to YouTube covering coal transport from Cannock to various locations. For details have a look at BrownhillsBob's Blog here....

 
Take a look at post #15 of the following thread https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/index.php?threads/canal-street-aston.8306/ I don't think this could be considered the St Phillips area of Brum.

If you have been prompted by a photograph with a long line of handrails, then that is Canal St. in Wolverhampton.
Thank you for this info but it is to do with a baptism of a 3 x great aunt who was baptised in St Phillip's, Birmingham on 25 November 1816. The record states that she was born on 1 November 1816 and lived in Canal Street and I wondered where Canal Street would have been located.
 
OK, please start here as Brum is today. link: https://goo.gl/maps/bY1i9NeonbEMAbYb8. Canal St. was in the 'block' at the top of which was Bagot St. and at the bottom Lawson St.. To either side would be Lancaster St & Staniforth St. You can then expand (shrink) the map and you'll find St. Phillips approx 1500m to the SE. Some discussion would suggest that Canal St, *was* somewhere near New Canal St, (Digbeth Area) and therefore not close to St Philips.

A further map is at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/os-1-to-2500/birmingham/014/01 and a close up of the relevant area is:-Canal St off Lancaster St..jpg
So the answer to your question is yes, sorry to have mislead.
My excuse - it was late Sunday 11.19 when I tried to answer this o_O.
 
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OK, please start here as Brum is today. Canal St. was in the 'block' at the top of which was Bagot St. and at the bottom Lawson St.. To either side would be Lancaster St & Staniforth St. link: https://goo.gl/maps/bY1i9NeonbEMAbYb8. You can then expand (shrink) the map and you'll find St. Phillips approx 1500m to the SE. Some discussion would suggest that Canal St, *was* somewhere near New Canal St, (Digbeth Area) and therefore not close to St Philips.

A further map is at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/os-1-to-2500/birmingham/014/01 and a close up of the relevant area is:-View attachment 151672View attachment 151672So the answer to your question is yes, sorry to have mislead. My excuse - it was late Sunday 11.19 when I tried to answer this earlier.
Hey, no problem! Thank you so much for your time.
 
The Day Boat was a term applied to craft where those that worked the craft lived on land and worked the craft for local trips. These included movement of coal from pit to factory, bricks and rubbish. They may be completely open or provided with a basic cabin for shelter.
 
It was the single cylinder Bolinder engine I remember on the canal boats. You can imagine the size of the piston as a 6-litre engine that you took your life in your own hands to start one up.

First it was the blowlamp the head to warm things up. Then a spring-loaded pin on the flywheel that would propel you backwards out through the door if it fired too early.

They had a very distinct dub, dub dub sound that would know the soot off the tunnel roof down as you passed through
 
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