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Canals of Birmingham

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
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Curly said:
The lower level down from Cambrian Wharf was to an area bounded by Lionel St, Newhall St and Gt Charles St, and accessed via the bridge between Civic House and The College of Food & Domestic Art, but this was not the Birmingham Fazeley Canal, it would have had a branch name, I don't have that to hand but it should appear on old Birmingham Maps. That lower level is filled in and built upon!
Click to expand...

That would have been the Newhall Arm of the BCN
 
I know.

This plaque is near this location



On the Canalside Walk in this area it is Cambrian Wharf



I always assumed the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal started at Old Turn Junction, not here!
 
I posted the note about the location of the junction for the benefit of those who did not know the correct location. I think for most of the 20th century most people thought that the Birmingham & Fazeley came right through to Old Turn Junction and that junction was misnamed as Farmers Bridge for many years. There was a report about 20 years ago that the misnaming had been discovered which was probably the time the plaque was positioned where it is. I have discovered the misnaming in Bradshaw's canal guide from the early 1900s. When I first started walking the canals of Birmingham the only access point was Gas Street as all the bridges had been sealed. To me having lived in the Black Country where all the canals were open this came as a surprise. It is only in more recent times that the canals have been opened up as a public attraction.
 
How the canals have changed, an amazing canal transformation.

First picture taken in early to mid 1980s, second picture taken a couple of years ago.

Picture taken in St Vincent St, near Sheepcote St and the National Indoor Arena (NIA), looking towards Broad St.

And YES, they are the same view, which I find hard to believe (and I took both pictures)

View32Picture1.jpg


View32Picture2.jpg
 
The canals I remember as a lad used to be one long oil slick and empty oil drums,the work they have done to restore them is truly amazing,how many volunteers do we have to thank.
 
Lime Wharf.

My interest in a Black Country Lime/coal master, William Harrison, has led me back to Birmingham.

In Pigot's Directory of 1828/9 he had an address of Holt Street, Aston Road and in brackets "Lime Warf."

There seems little reference to this Wharf compared to others, does anyone have an idea of where it could have been situated?

Regards Pedro
 
Pedrocut said:
Lime Wharf.

My interest in a Black Country Lime/coal master, William Harrison, has led me back to Birmingham.

In Pigot's Directory of 1828/9 he had an address of Holt Street, Aston Road and in brackets "Lime Warf."

There seems little reference to this Wharf compared to others, does anyone have an idea of where it could have been situated?

Regards Pedro
Click to expand...

Hi Pedro
In 1841 census Lime Wharf & Crescent Wharf were in the Ladywood district, Piece 1140,

He would have lived in Holt street but his buisness was in Lime Wharf.

Further info may be on this Birmingham History Link
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=37377

Hope this is of some help
Louisa
 
Louisa said:
Hi Pedro
In 1841 census Lime Wharf & Crescent Wharf were in the Ladywood district, Piece 1140,

He would have lived in Holt street but his buisness was in Lime Wharf.

Further info may be on this Birmingham History Link
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=37377

Hope this is of some help
Louisa
Click to expand...

Thanks,

I think therefore that the bracketed "Lime Wharf" must be wrong, as in the 1841 census he was living in Stafford Street Walsall. He was a lime master in partnership with a Wagstaff, and the works were close to the canal.

They must have also had premises in Holt Street/Aston Road that were on the Canal.

Best wishes, Peter
 
The canal still runs along the side of Holt St Gosta Green. Dartmouth St also runs adjacent the canal, at that time there were large Glass kilns in that area. I,m not an expert but lime I believe used in the making of glass there my have been a local wharf in that area solely for this purpose.Dek
 
Pedrocur, like you I love exploring the local canals, particularly around Gas Street basin and Cambrian Wharf. As a longstanding amateur watercolourist have painted exhibited and sold numerous paintings of the Birmingham canal system, particularly those areas in the 80's, not so keen since it as been 'modernised' Eric
 
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cookie273uk said:
Pedrocur, like you I love exploring the local canals, particularly around Gas Street basin and Cambrian Wharf. As a longstanding amateur watercolourist have painted exhibited and sold numerous paintings of the Birmingham canal system, particularly those areas in the 80's, not so keen since it as been 'modernised' Eric
Click to expand...

Hi Eric,


I remember many years ago cycling back from work along the cut under Salford Junction. There was a chap sitting by the side making a sketch of an old motor bike that had been dumped and half was sticking out of the water.


A couple of days later he was on the Midlands News. He had been made redundant and took up painting the industrial wastelands of B'ham and the Black Country. He seemed to be making a living from it, as his pictures were really good.


In later years I tried to find his name, but to no avail!


Regards Peter
 
dek carr said:
The canal still runs along the side of Holt St Gosta Green. Dartmouth St also runs adjacent the canal, at that time there were large Glass kilns in that area. I,m not an expert but lime I believe used in the making of glass there my have been a local wharf in that area solely for this purpose.Dek
Click to expand...

Hi Dek,


Looked again in the Pigot Directory for 1828/9 and indeed there is a Glass Manufacturer...Bacchus, Green and Green, Union Glass Works Dartmouth Street!


I suspect the William Harrison that I am interested in used the premises at Holt Street as a distribution point for his lime from the mines in Walsall.


For interest, he moved from lime to coal in 1849 and family fortunes never looked back. At nationalisation they owned the Wychnor Estate.


Best Wishes Peter
 
Louisa said:
Hi Pedro
In 1841 census Lime Wharf & Crescent Wharf were in the Ladywood district, Piece 1140,

He would have lived in Holt street but his buisness was in Lime Wharf.

Further info may be on this Birmingham History Link
https://birminghamhistory.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=37377

Hope this is of some help
Louisa
Click to expand...

Just found another source for the Lime manufactures, with similar entry to Pigot. This time the Lime wharf is missing and it is added to Norton, Williams and Co of Crescent lime Wharf.

Best wishes Peter
 
In 1833 Harrison, Wagstaff & Co are the only lime merchants listed in Holt St
By 1839 they have disappeared, but there is: Forster John, coal dealer, Walsall lime wharf, Holt street, Ashted
By 1845 they are listed at no 17 Holt St as : Forster John, lime, coal, coke, white brick, & general wharfinger
By 1888 no 17 is occupied by Charles Henry Cooper , gun barrel makers and is named Excelsior wharf.
The position of Excelsior wharf is shown in the map below, opposite Holt's brewery



map_c_1889_showing_excelsior_wharf.jpg
 
Thanks Mike,


That ties in, as I think the Harrison partnership broke up by 1834. For interest Harrison was living at Stafford Street Walsall until he moved into coal in 1849. The family then moved via Norton Hall in Norton Canes, via Eastland House in Leamington, Aldershawe and Orgreave Hall near Lichfield, the Knolls at Barton under Needwood anultimately to the Wychnor Estate up to 1975.


I had to have a smile at this one. In 1878 Thomas Blewit a coal and corn merchant of Excelsior Wharf, Holt Street had to go into liquidation!


All the best Peter
 
So that I can get my bearings, is the car park to the right (middle right) where Old Wharf would have been? And the road with two churches, is that Broad Street? Another great photo Bernie. Viv.
 
The church over the other end of the Broad Street Tunnel got demolished.

It's where the Ozzy Osborne star on the Walk of Stars is.



 
Thanks Ell got my bearings. Wonder which came first, the church or canal? Surely not the church. But seems odd to build a canal under a church. Or for that matter seems an odd place altogether, even if the church was built after the canal. Viv.
 
I remember, a while back, hearing Karl Chinn talking about parties of kids going "up the cut in a coalboat". Talking to my (96-year old) mother today and she suddenly started talking about how she'd been on one of those trips, when she was about 10. They got on a boat, which had paper tacked around the inside to stop the girls dresses getting dirty, at Gas St basin and went to the Cadbury's factory. The trip was organised by a Sunday school in Ladywood and on arrival in Bournville they had games and sports with a lunch thrown in and had a wonderful time. This would have been about 1927 she thinks.
 
Re: Canals of Brum

At present Birmingham does not have a canal or waterway museum but I think it needs one as the otherwise excellent museums in the city do not do justice to the history of the city.
[h=3]Why should Birmingham have a canal museum?[/h]
1 - Because Birmingham is the centre of the UK canal system.
2 - Because canals played an important and essential role in Birmingham’s growth and prosperity.
3 - Because canals are a central part of Birmingham’s tourist attractions.
4 - Because visitors to the city cannot appreciate the historic significance of the canals or understand their development.
5 - Because visitors do not understand the present extent, use and importance of our waterways system.
[h=3]What are the advantages of a Canal Museum in Birmingham?[/h] A Canal Museum would add to the tourist attractions of Birmingham and encourage more visitors by land and water. It would also help those visiting the city to take a deeper interest in both the history of Birmingham and the waterway system.
The education of the public in the importance of the waterways and their relationship to the history of Birmingham will encourage interest to the benefit of both the city and the waterways. Not only will tourism be expanded but public information and interest will generally have a positive affect on attitudes.

I have more information about this proposal on my website at https://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/gwpf.php?wpage=Birmingham Canal Museum and there will be a meeting of interested parties on the 18th December.
 
hello jim and welcome...just had a look on your website and i totally agree that a canal museum would be wonderful..i do however agree with carl chinns comments about the lack of vision the powers that be have towards preserving and bringing our heritage to the public eye...i wish you well jim and really hope that you get this museum...would you mind keeping us up to date with any developments please

many thanks

lyn
 
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