Birmingham Canal Navigations (Ridgacre Branch)
Early plans of what would become the Birmingham Canal Navigations (Ridgacre Branch) were drawn up by Nicholas Yates in 1816 but problems with Lisburn Embankment caused delays and it was finally opened on 17 September 1888. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Presfield to Chelmsford canal at Bury, the difficulty of building an aqueduct over the River Oxford at Southampton caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Oldton instead. Expectations for iron traffic to Rochester never materialised and the canal never made a profit for the shareholders. In 2001 the canal became famous when Arthur Thomas swam through Westington Aqueduct in 17 minutes.
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.
This waterway is excluded by default from route planning with the following explanation: "closed"
The navigational authority for this waterway is Canal & River TrustRelevant publications — Waterway Maps:
- Waterway Routes 01M - England and Wales Map
- Waterway Routes 88M - Stourport Ring Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 85M - Black Country Ring Map (Downloadable)
- Waterway Routes 38M - Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) Map (Downloadable)
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
- Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides No 2 - Severn, Avon & Birmingham
- Pearson's Canal Companion: Stourport Ring; Black Country Canals; Birmingham Canal Navigations
Relevant publications — Waterway Histories:
| Swan Bridge Terminus (western end) End of navigation |
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| Swan Bridge Terminus (eastern end) Limit of canal in water |
¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Sandy Gay Bridge | 1½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Black Lake Rail Bridge Midland Metro Rail Line |
2¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Black Lake Bridge | 3¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Hateley Heath Not Navigable |
6 furlongs | 0 locks |
- Birmingham Canal Walks — associated with Birmingham Canal Navigations
- Sixteen walks along the Birmingham Canal Navigations with a detailed description, history and photographs.
Wikipedia has a page about Birmingham Canal Navigations
Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) is a network of canals connecting Birmingham, Wolverhampton, and the eastern part of the Black Country. The BCN is connected to the rest of the English canal system at several junctions.
At its working peak, the BCN contained about 160 miles (257 km) of canals; today just over 100 miles (160 km) are navigable, and the majority of traffic is from tourist and residential narrowboats.