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Canals of Birmingham

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Re: Canals of Brum

:) More Photos Here
Piccy 1 Elizabeth and Tom Smith with my Nan as the young woman and I think Edward , Eliza and Lilly on the Surrey and walnut in 1910 I have the 1911 census with their names on it .
Piccy 2 George Henry Smith with son George ( Still alive at 95 years old )
piccy 3 Hannah and Mary Webb .. Hannah Smith Nans eldest sister Married Tom Webb who captained the President in 1937 .
Piccy 4 My Grandad John ( Little Jack) Payton

Jean
 
Re: Canals of Brum

Just a few more photos now ..
Dunsley Rock ..The Longmore family were boat people working the Staffs/Worcs canal as were the Coleys and Lanes at this time. They all lived in "rock houses or caves" just above the canal. The area was known as Dunsley Rock. Conditions were not very good as you can imagine living in red-stone rock! They lived at no 18 .
piccy 2 another Photo of Elizabeth Smith ne Daniels mr Grt Grandmother . I am told that is who I take after .. I hope so because she lived till she was 90 !! Theres are a lot of the family living in Bedworth now .
Piccy 3 Hannah Smith ne Statham married to George Henry Smith Daughter of Eliza Stokes also Mum to George Smith and Mother in law to Sonia Rolte .
Piccy 4 This is a copy of the first Page of the Payton Family Bible belonging to my grt grt grt Grandads Brother John .
Phew need a rest now .
Theres loads more but I think one day I must write a family history book about these people . I just wanted to document a Boat family for us all .
Kind regards Jean x
 
Re: Canals of Brum

You're lucky to have so many records of your family. My grandparents died when their children were teenagers, and one way or another memento's/records have got displaced/lost/thrown away.
Fashionz
Catsclaws said:
Just a few more photos now ..
Dunsley Rock ..The Longmore family were boat people working the Staffs/Worcs canal as were the Coleys and Lanes at this time. They all lived in "rock houses or caves" just above the canal. The area was known as Dunsley Rock. Conditions were not very good as you can imagine living in red-stone rock! They lived at no 18 .
piccy 2 another Photo of Elizabeth Smith ne Daniels mr Grt Grandmother . I am told that is who I take after .. I hope so because she lived till she was 90 !! Theres are a lot of the family living in Bedworth now .
Piccy 3 Hannah Smith ne Statham married to George Henry Smith Daughter of Eliza Stokes also Mum to George Smith and Mother in law to Sonia Rolte .
Piccy 4 This is a copy of the first Page of the Payton Family Bible belonging to my grt grt grt Grandads Brother John .
Phew need a rest now .
Theres loads more but I think one day I must write a family history book about these people . I just wanted to document a Boat family for us all .
Kind regards Jean x
Click to expand...
 
Wonderful photographs and I loved looking at them. My family came off the boats in the mid 19thc. 1841 census has them listed as "Towing Path Ladywood". 1851 and they were running the Tindal Arms, overlooking the canal. I can look at your photos and imagine what they were like (I don't have any photos), so thank you so much and YES get writing that book!
 
Thanks Jean lovely photos with good explanations, you should get it all down on paper even if you don't intend to publish.

Graham.
 
Dear all
many thanks for your kind remarks and I do have it all written down loosely and all the birth/death/ Marriage and census proofs but I think its all going to have to wait until I retire . My dad died not knowing much of this . My nan used to whisk me off to see her canal family but as a toddler I am afraid I dont remember much . I know my sisters used to taunt me anhd call me 'Nannys Pet ' I also knew I was a lot different from them in my ways and attitudes and now I know why . Having seen This photo of Nannys Mother Elizabeth Smith .. I have her smile .

Keep searching for your own histories because you never know what is out there . Its taken me literally years to find all this out .

Best wishes Jean xx
 
Colin B said:
Graham,Drawbridge Road runs between Peterbrook Road and Haslucks Green Road its really Majors Green now.Its about 1 mile from where I live.The Drawbridge pub is along side the canal,next to the drawbridge,if you fancy a pint let me know,its changed a bit since this photo.

Colin
Click to expand...

Many are the packets of Smiths Crisps (plus salt of course) that I bought here. It looked like that when I remember it - some 60 years ago. I had a great fascination for the cut and cycled along the Stratford Canal towpaths on many occasions.
 
Hi there
great story of your memorys and as a kid from ladywood and a well roamed one and as a kid growing up in ladywood
we as kids spent alot of time on the cut from monument rd towards the city and beyond the old basin at gas street
from monument rd to the black country and all the channels of the cannals which eever way it was possible to walk
we would scour the cut in our little gang of about eight of us we would see how many bottles we could smash by the bottles that we ever seen
floating down the cut by skimming stones at them and keep our indivisual scores for that day
also if any think of intrest came floating along the cut also we would cheek the boat people on there barges whom ever traveled up and down
one day we seen a bag floating down the cut we dragged it out and it was a soldiers unifomm we took itto the cops station
at the old ladywood police station we used to dragg the cut with a old iron bar which we made to bend into a hook and a long peice of strong rope we would spend hours dragging it after about two hours the tow path was covered in all scrapp and rubbish
our aim was to find old bkes that kids had nicked the things we found was uinbeleivable and dragged out bikes by the dozen over a period of time
we used to dragg by ledsam street and sheepcote street lady wood we would take the bikes and a moped one to the old bill ladywood
all covered in oil and slime we always thought that if you found somethink hand it in after six months if it was unclamed you would get the goodies thats was not the case i do have memorys of the cut and cannals and of the payton family barges seen fairly often on the cannal of birminhgam traveling up the cannals
before the t and s barges whom used the horse named charlie a giant of a shire horse whom chased us a couple of times and i nearly got trambled by him on the lady wood end by the old railway siding of sheepcote stret as we dragged the cut we pulled alot of scrap out it blocked the tow pathe and i fell over it and charlie was upon me my heart was pounding
best wishes astonion
 
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Sadly, as far as I am concerned, I was told little about my mothers side of the family. I do recall, however, that my mother told me some years ago a little about her father and his boats. He had six and sold them, she believed, to T&S Element of Oldbury. They were hauled by horses.

She was forbidden to go near 'the cut' as in his opinion it was not place for a lady and his daughter. This attitude was levied on me as well. So I never had much chance to explore the BCN and other Midland waterways other than the mainly rural Stratford Canal, which in comparison' was a horse of a different colour. :D (pun intended) :grinsmile:

Had I remained living in Warwickshire after my 16th. birthday I am sure I would have achieved a close study of Englands Venice.

Whilst I live close to the sea, and have done for many years, I still have a preference for rivers and canals. Anyone who knows the River Dart will be aware of its beauty as it flows from The Moor to the sea.
 
Jean,
Great photo's and knowing who the people are makes them even more special.
I am very impressed with your research,knowing how difficult it is with the name Smith.
Some research I did on the name Smith (also boaties),only worked when I got lucky.
As an afterthought,a favourite place for boaties weddings was Braunston,Northamptonshire,worth a try if you are ever stuck.
Good work,keep it up...and write the book,pleeeeez.
 
Can anyone tell me did the old bargee's have their own language?, I remember my dad talking to one on the cut in Dudley I think, and it sounded foreign to me and my dad, when they talked to each other?
paul
 
paul stacey said:
Can anyone tell me did the old bargee's have their own language?, I remember my dad talking to one on the cut in Dudley I think, and it sounded foreign to me and my dad, when they talked to each other?
paul
Click to expand...

Paul thats an interesting question. They did in the foundry's well it was sign language because of the noise. I hope someone has an answer.

Lovely picture Stitcher. Walked around there a couple of weeks ago but it didn't look like that!
 
Hi Wendy

My nan was a boatwoman and she brought me up till I was 7 years old . She couldn't read or write and she did have a certain way of talking . Its funny now but it wasn't at the time because her language was very bad . She used to put the 'effing' kettle on to make an 'effing' cup of tea :) so to speak and that's how I learnt to talk . When I was 4 tears old mum had to take me up the hospital to have a stitch put in my eyebrow . I had fallen on my bottle and cut myself .
I was telling the doctor off in my baby language and saying .. hes 'pitting me putting eye' The Doctor came out and said to mum 'what a sweet little girl , What is she saying ?'
Well mum got out of that hospital pretty fast . But after nan died mum basically had to re teach us all to speak . I don't swear now only when I'm really cross !
Nan used to talk about the 'Horse Road ' she also used the term 'San fairy Ann '
My nan despite her language worked hard until she was 72 and she was a wonderful woman :)
I hope you like the little story its true :)
Regards Jean
 
I like this story. Thanks.
Catsclaws said:
Hi Wendy

My nan was a boatwoman and she brought me up till I was 7 years old . She couldn't read or write and she did have a certain way of talking . Its funny now but it wasn't at the time because her language was very bad . She used to put the 'effing' kettle on to make an 'effing' cup of tea :) so to speak and that's how I learnt to talk . When I was 4 tears old mum had to take me up the hospital to have a stitch put in my eyebrow . I had fallen on my bottle and cut myself .
I was telling the doctor off in my baby language and saying .. hes 'pitting me putting eye' The Doctor came out and said to mum 'what a sweet little girl , What is she saying ?'
Well mum got out of that hospital pretty fast . But after nan died mum basically had to re teach us all to speak . I don't swear now only when I'm really cross !
Nan used to talk about the 'Horse Road ' she also used the term 'San fairy Ann '
My nan despite her language worked hard until she was 72 and she was a wonderful woman :)
I hope you like the little story its true :)
Regards Jean
Click to expand...
 
When I was a black cab driver through the late 70s and all through the 80s I used a night cafe on the corner of Bridge St and Broad St, a few of the barge people used it and they all sounded quite local as regards language, they talked to us and if you did not know they were off the boats you would never guess. There was a Scots woman who always wore big thick men's socks and she was known as 'MARY, QUEEN of SOCKS'.
 
bng.jpeg-----img618.jpg
From todays newspaper. An envisaged picture of what the Icknield Port Loop will look like, and what it really looks like now.
 
Not quite Birmingham canals but we went to Hatton yesterday, the 'Stairway to Heaven'
21 locks.
We go quite often to walk the towpath with our dog.
I couldn't believe my eyes , I have never seen it so busy.
The locks were in continuous use taking 2 boats at a time with others 'lying back' in the pound waiting to go through.
What a lovely sight to see the canal so busy, children helping to open and close the lock gates and everyone having a good time.

Maybe on the forum somewhere but i can't find it.
Who paid the lock keepers when the canals were used for trade and did the boatmen open and close the locks or was that the job of the lockkeeper.
What sort of price would the canal boat owners pay the canal owners for the use of the canal.
 
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[h=2]History[/h]The flight was opened in December 1799 on the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. In 1929, the canal was renamed as the Grand Union Canal (on unification of a number of operators) and the decision was made to widen the Hatton stretch. In order to accommodate traders with heavy cargos of coal, sugar, tea and spices up the flight, the locks were widened to 14 feet (4.3 m) – allowing navigation by industrial boats or two single narrowboats.[SUP][1][/SUP] The widening was completed in the mid-1930s using a workforce of 1,000, and the revolutionary concrete lock system was opened by Prince George, Duke of Kent.[SUP][1][/SUP]
The flight was known as the "stairway to heaven" due to the difficulty of the flight and the subsequent easier journey to Camp Hill where the workmen would receive their wages.[SUP][1]

The flight was opened in December 1799 on the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. In 1929, the canal was renamed as the Grand Union Canal (on unification of a number of operators) and the decision was made to widen the Hatton stretch. In order to accommodate traders with heavy cargos of coal, sugar, tea and spices up the flight, the locks were widened to 14 feet (4.3 m) – allowing navigation by industrial boats or two single narrowboats.[SUP][1][/SUP] The widening was completed in the mid-1930s using a workforce of 1,000, and the revolutionary concrete lock system was opened by Prince George, Duke of Kent.[SUP][1][/SUP]
The flight was known as the "stairway to heaven" due to the difficulty of the flight and the subsequent easier journey to Camp Hill where the workmen would receive their wages.[SUP][1][/SUP]


A panorama of Hatton Locks on 3 March 2010

Benefit of wikipedia.

clearly other details will come from our many experts on this site

mike jenks​

[/SUP]
 
My dad used to take me fishing at this canal and he always said that a short way past the bottom lock was the best place because the continuous displacement of water when the lock was used would stir up the botom and attract the fish to feed there.
 
Found out from various sites that some locks were operated by lock keepers and others by the boatmen themselves and the costing was in the
form of a toll.
Apparently the cost of building the canals was very much offset by the revenue earned because business men were very eager to buy shares of the canal companies.
Companies who owned the boats were not allowed to buy shares for fear of monopolies being formed.

Paul, it was a lovely site and made me think how busy canals would have been when worked.
Nice memory Stitcher, you wouldn't have had much luck yesterday too much traffic on the water and the towpath.
 
I love the canals and often visit the one at Stourport and another at Wolverly. A friend of ours loves the canals so much that he bought the shell of an old barge and has spent two years re building it. I will try and find my photo's of a group of people operating the locks. We did notice that it was the women doing this while the men stayed on their boats. Jean.
 
198697_259528460725090_100000038139250_1129456_5138267_n.jpg
This is a photo of Pete when we spent a lovely evening last September at The Flapper Night Club. That is where we should have been the Friday before last only Pete was taken ill.
 
G G Jean said:
This is a photo of Pete when we spent a lovely evening last September at The Flapper Night Club. That is where we should have been the Friday before last only Pete was taken ill.
Click to expand...

Hi GG Jean - where is this location - what canal is it? Hope Pete is feeling better now.

Cheers
 
When we were at Hatton last week my husband commented on the amount of water displaced every time the locks are used.

I have just read that due to the drought in some parts of the country some parts of the canals in Birmingham and surrounds are
going to have the locks padlocked to stop the displacement of so much water.
 
Hi

Yes things are gradually biting on this one. Severn Trent are diverting circa many millions of gallons of
Birmingham Water which we don't use its hard Water under ground ours is from Wales via the huge
Elan Valley complex, through Hockley Brook the River Tame and into the Trent. East Anglian Water will
pick it up then via their systems. The Canal I suspect will have there systems looked at on this issue as
I suspect there systems use river Water to fill up the various feeder systems they have Earlswood Lakes
Olton Reservoir im not an expert on the Canal systems. That's the best I can do but our experts will
enlighten us.

Mike Jenks
 
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