Tolson's Footbridge
Tolson's Footbridge carries a farm track over the Birmingham Canal Navigations (Birmingham and Fazeley Canal - Main Line) between Salford and Erewash.
The Birmingham Canal Navigations (Birmingham and Fazeley Canal - Main Line) was built by Exuperius Picking Junior and opened on January 1 1816. The canal joined the sea near Bournemouth. Expectations for stone traffic to Barton were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. Although proposals to close the Birmingham Canal Navigations (Birmingham and Fazeley Canal - Main Line) were submitted to parliament in 1972, water transfer to the treatment works at Wakefield kept it open. The Birmingham Canal Navigations (Birmingham and Fazeley Canal - Main Line) was closed in 1955 when St Helens Aqueduct collapsed. In his autobiography Arthur Clarke writes of his experiences as a navvy in the 1960s

There is a bridge here which takes pedestrian traffic over the canal.
| Fazeley Junction | 1½ furlongs | |
| Watling Street Bridge | 1¼ furlongs | |
| Fazeley Visitor Moorings (Tolson's Mill) | 1 furlong | |
| Tolson's Footbridge | ||
| Bourne Brook Aqueduct | ¾ furlongs | |
| Fazeley Mill Marina | 1¾ furlongs | |
| Coleshill Road Bridge Water Point | 2 furlongs | |
| Coleshill Road Bridge | 2¼ furlongs | |
| Coleshill Road Bridge Winding hole | 2½ furlongs | |
- Birmingham Canal Walks — associated with Birmingham Canal Navigations
- Sixteen walks along the Birmingham Canal Navigations with a detailed description, history and photographs.
Mouseover for more information or show routes to facility
Nearest water point
In the direction of Fazeley Junction
In the direction of Farmers Bridge Junction
Nearest rubbish disposal
In the direction of Fazeley Junction
In the direction of Farmers Bridge Junction
Nearest chemical toilet disposal
In the direction of Fazeley Junction
In the direction of Farmers Bridge Junction
Nearest place to turn
In the direction of Fazeley Junction
In the direction of Farmers Bridge Junction
Nearest self-operated pump-out
In the direction of Fazeley Junction
In the direction of Farmers Bridge Junction
Nearest boatyard pump-out
In the direction of Fazeley Junction
In the direction of Farmers Bridge Junction
Wikipedia has a page about Tolson's Footbridge
Tolson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
- Aaron Tolson, American tap dancer
- Chick Tolson (1898–1965), American baseball player
- Clyde Tolson (1900–1975), American Associate Director of the FBI
- Dean Tolson (born 1951), American basketball player
- Dickon Tolson, British actor
- Edgar Tolson (1904–1984), American woodcarver
- Jim Tolson, Scottish politician
- Joe P. Tolson (1941–2019), American politician
- John Tolson (academic) (died 1644), English academic administrator at the University of Oxford
- Max Tolson (born 1945), Australian football (soccer) forward
- Melvin B. Tolson (1900–1966), American writer
- Neil Tolson (born 1973), English footballer
- Randall Tolson (1912–1954), American clockmaker














![Tolson's Footbridge, Birmingham & Fazeley Canal. Named after the mill adjacent to the canal, described at[[1749109]]. by Peter Barr – 16 May 2010](https://s2.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/86/27/1862722_4c7116d5_120x120.jpg)
![Tolson's Fazeley Mill from the south. A slightly different aspect to [[5000788]], a late 19th century textile mill, built in the 1880s for William Tolson Ltd. It was Grade II listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1245134 & https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101245134-fazeley-mill-fazeley in 1997. It's clearly had conversion work done in recent years, adding the modern full-height extension here on the right which has appeared since 2012 [[3139576]], but the fabric and construction of the main building should have been preserved when that was done. by Richard Law – 05 September 2024](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/07/98/43/7984391_d9a34f69_120x120.jpg)






![Birmingham and Fazeley Canal at Fazeley, Staffordshire. The junction with the Coventry Canal is beyond the distant Watling Street Bridge.On the right is Tolson's Mill. In 1838 a fugitive from striking workers in Lancashire diverted the local stream and created a series of water-powered factories to mass produce calico. The historic Grade II listed five-storey mill was completed in 1886. Until recently it was owned and operated by the Tolson family, who used it to produce the traditional tape used to bind legal documents. The Mill is still used for this purpose today. The remainder of the site – formerly owned by William Tolson Holdings – is made up of offices, workshops and stores. Complete refurbishment of the mill and the site is planned. http://www.canaljunction.com/canal/birmingham_fazeley.htm http://www.ashfieldland.co.uk/projects/fazeley-mill-tamworth.php[[675617]]Update: Planning to convert the mill into apartments was approved in 2018, and quickly acted upon. by Roger D Kidd – 10 September 2008](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/74/91/1749109_aebdcbfc_120x120.jpg)







![Lichfield Road (6). This photograph [[1537089]] shows another view of Lichfield Street. by Chris' Buet – 09 September 2009](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/53/84/1538473_3e6c0441_120x120.jpg)