Spon Lane Junction
Encyclopedia
Spon Lane Junction is the original junction
of the Wednesbury Canal and the Birmingham Canal, near Oldbury
in the West Midlands
, England
.
The 1768 Act of Parliament
which authorised the building of the Birmingham Canal to Wolverhampton
included a lucrative branch to the coal mines of Wednesbury
, which was completed the following year, allowing coal to be shipped cheaply to Birmingham. When building of the Birmingham Canal continued towards Wolverhampton and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
at Aldersley Junction
it came off the existing canal at Spon Lane Junction. At the time this was half way down the flight of six Spon Lane Locks. Later lowering of the Smethwick summit level by John Smeaton's
design removed the top three locks from each end of the summit, leaving the summit level (Wolverhampton Level) continuing to Wolverhampton and a three lock descent to Wednesbury. This part of the Wednesbury Canal is now known as the Spon Lane Locks Branch, and leaves the BCN Old Main Line at Spon Lane Junction. The nearby Stewart Aqueduct
carries the Old Main Line over the New Main Line.
Later changes by Thomas Telford
widened the Wednesbury Canal from Bromford Junction
at the foot of the locks, converting it into the New Main Line (from here also known as the Island Line).
Spon Lane Junction and the top lock are now under the M5 motorway
.
Junction (canal)
A canal junction is a place at which two or more canal routes converge or diverge. This implies a physical connection between the beds of the two canals as opposed to them crossing on different levels eg via an aqueduct....
of the Wednesbury Canal and the Birmingham Canal, near Oldbury
Oldbury, West Midlands
Oldbury is a town in the West Midlands in England. It is a part of the Black Country and the administrative centre of the borough of Sandwell.-Local government:...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The 1768 Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
which authorised the building of the Birmingham Canal to Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
included a lucrative branch to the coal mines of Wednesbury
Wednesbury
Wednesbury is a market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell metropolitan borough in West Midlands, near the source of the River Tame. Similarly to the word Wednesday, it is pronounced .-Pre-Medieval and Medieval times:...
, which was completed the following year, allowing coal to be shipped cheaply to Birmingham. When building of the Birmingham Canal continued towards Wolverhampton and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a narrow navigable canal in the English Midlands, passing through the counties of Staffordshire and Worcestershire....
at Aldersley Junction
Aldersley Junction
Aldersley Junction is the name of the canal junction where the Birmingham Main Line Canal terminates and meets the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near to Oxley, north Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England....
it came off the existing canal at Spon Lane Junction. At the time this was half way down the flight of six Spon Lane Locks. Later lowering of the Smethwick summit level by John Smeaton's
John Smeaton
John Smeaton, FRS, was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses. He was also a capable mechanical engineer and an eminent physicist...
design removed the top three locks from each end of the summit, leaving the summit level (Wolverhampton Level) continuing to Wolverhampton and a three lock descent to Wednesbury. This part of the Wednesbury Canal is now known as the Spon Lane Locks Branch, and leaves the BCN Old Main Line at Spon Lane Junction. The nearby Stewart Aqueduct
Stewart Aqueduct
The Stewart Aqueduct in Smethwick, West Midlands , England carries the BCN Old Main Line Canal over the BCN New Main Line Canal ....
carries the Old Main Line over the New Main Line.
Later changes by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
widened the Wednesbury Canal from Bromford Junction
Bromford Junction
Bromford Junction is a canal junction at the foot of the Spon Lane Locks where the Spon Lane Locks Branch meets the BCN New Main Line near Oldbury in the West Midlands, England....
at the foot of the locks, converting it into the New Main Line (from here also known as the Island Line).
Spon Lane Junction and the top lock are now under the M5 motorway
M5 motorway
The M5 is a motorway in England. It runs from a junction with the M6 at West Bromwich near Birmingham to Exeter in Devon. Heading south-west, the M5 runs east of West Bromwich and west of Birmingham through Sandwell Valley...
.
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...