The link between our two canal restorations is provided by the navigable section of the Wyrley & Essington Canal passing through Brownhills. This section of the canal has been subject to a number of changes in recent years including new housing estates at Pelsall, Clayhanger and in Brownhills and the latest of these is the housing currently being built off Silver Street. Whilst it regrettably occupies what was until recently pleasant green fields, the layout and design is sympathetic to the canal and it is creating an attractive canalside development. The canal frontage along Silver Street itself has also recently been landscaped and Brownhills is increasingly conscious of the asset that such a waterfront can provide.

New housing at Brownhills. Basin entrance on the right
(Photo Phil Sharpe)

On the bend of the canal at Silver St is an old canal basin, originally built as one of a pair of railway interchange basins, the other one having been largely filled in some years ago. The plans for the site included a Community Centre alongside the basin but recent ideas have favoured another site for this where there would be more car parking space. Seeing an opportunity, the developers proposed to fill in the basin and build yet more houses on it. Fortunately, this provoked considerable local opposition and the Brownhills Local Committee set up a working group, on which the Trust and IWA are represented, to consider alternative uses for the site whilst preserving the basin. Their first action was to recommend to Walsall Borough Council retention of the basin for canal related amenity use, in accordance with the Local Plan, and this has now been accepted. BW have drawn up indicative plans for a facilities building and moorings and they and the Council are investigating sources of funding. Other possibilities discussed include a slip-way, a canoe centre and day hire boats. Meanwhile several public narrowboat trips have been arranged from the waterfront. The local people are looking forward to the day when the Lichfield and Hatherton canals are both re-opened and Brownhills again becomes the centre of the northern BCN network.

Phil Sharpe

Alvecote Marina is situated on the Coventry Canal just east of Tamworth, on the 7 mile pound between Glascote Locks and Atherstone Locks. With its coal mining past rapidly greening over and becoming heritage, the Coventry Canal is increasingly popular for cruising and for mooring at the heart of the national canal system. Alvecote Marina is a new marina, custom designed for modern narrow boats and with all necessary facilities to hand including pump-out and diesel. Mooring is on fixed pontoons provided with electricity and water supply and safely located within secure fencing. Many of the existing boats are residential, providing added security. A new clubhouse and pub/restaurant is under construction. Located on Robey's Lane, 2 miles north of Junction 10 where M42 meets A5, it enjoys a countryside setting between a golf course, a nature reserve and historic priory ruins, but with the shopping and leisure facilities of Tamworth only minutes away. Visit www.narrowboat.co.uk.

Now, thanks to the generosity of its owner Malcolm Burge, you can moor your boat here and enjoy all the advantages of Alvecote Marina at a competitive price whilst supporting the restoration of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals. Two fully serviced 70 foot moorings are separately available under standard BMF conditions for the best price offered to the Trust. Normal prices for such facilities are up to £2 per foot per month but we are open to offers. Obviously, the longer the boat and the longer the stay the better for the Trust, but if you have a shorter boat and would like to move into this excellent marina then the Trust can also benefit from your introduction.

Moorings at Alvecote Marina (Photos by Bob Williams)

For more information contact the Trust's finance director Bob Williams on 01543 671427
(email bob.williams@lhcrt.org.uk),
or Vice-Chairman Phil Sharpe on 01889 583330.

LICHFIELD CANAL
Work has continued on various Saturdays and Sundays and also on some Wednesday evenings through the summer, aided by a weekend visit from Kent & East Sussex Canal Restoration Group. Scrub bashing and strimming has been carried out to clear the way at Darnford Lane and along the towpath down from Fosseway Lane. On Lock 26 at Tamworth Road the remaining brickwork at the top end has been completed and repair of the ground paddle chamber floors is underway.

Bolts have been cast into the paddle chamber roofs and a trial fitting of the paddle gear was successful, despite no-one having a windlass handy ! As usual, many bricks have been cleaned and further clearance has been done on the bywash. The substantial job of cutting out the old brickwork for a lock safety ladder, two bricks deep this time, has employed a variety of Kango type hammers, and defeated several of them ! The bricklayers are now repairing the damage. Clearance of the bottom of the chamber around the land drain pipe down to the invert has been completed. This job, started by Newbury WPG in April, kept a large and very hard working group from KESCRG busy in September, and this time we managed to recover most of the good gravel to a dump at the lock tail suitably placed for future use to form the towpath. The uncovered brickwork of the lower part of the lock walls was not quite as bad as expected but will need various sections patching or pointing.

(Photo Phil Sharpe)

At Darnford Lane KESCRG were also busy dumpering spoil from the new channel section to the far end of the site. The excavation was carried out for us very skilfully by a machine and driver loaned by Chasetown Civil Engineering for the weekend, a most valuable contribution arranged for us by Peter Magee. The section from Darnford Lane to the bend, previously only roughly excavated, was deepened and re-profiled and the spoil largely stockpiled for future use on raising the banks at the eastern end of the site. Meanwhile, another group from KESCRG dug some trial holes behind Canal Cottage below Cricket Lane to establish the boundaries, finding a near-perfect section of sloping puddle clay liner on the offside bank, which was recorded and then covered up again.

Unfortunately, the WRG Canal Camp planned for October had to be canceled due to delays in settling the land deal for the site. The main work was to have been excavation of the towpath wall between Locks 25 and 26, and although some similar work could have been done below Lock 26 it was thought by our engineer that there was not the full range of accompanying unskilled jobs to fully occupy the volunteers. We understand that WRG have been able to transfer the Camp to another project but are disappointed to be missing out on the high standard of hospitality they enjoy at Lichfield. It is not yet possible to predict when or how we will be able to proceed with this project, but meanwhile, there is still plenty to do on the existing sites.

HATHERTON CANAL
Our regular monthly working parties continue and have installed the other two towpath way-mark posts at Oak Lane and Cross Bridge. As usual, during the summer considerable effort has gone into strimming and mowing the towpath and trimming back the hedges, aided by some mid-week visits from our retired members.

New way-mark post at Cross Bridge(Photo Phil Sharpe)

The next instalment of the Hatherton Hedgerow Project will be starting in November which will keep us all active and warm over the winter, collecting and burning the brash and clearing the way through the jungle down to the M6. Additional working days will be organised as required.

Phil Sharpe

Every effort is being put into reaching the target in the Spring of 2003 when we need to place an order to have the steel canal trough manufactured, ready for installation later in the year before the new motorway is open to traffic.

Bob Williams, Finance Director

Click here for a list of donors to the David Suchet Appeal
Click here for a list of donors to the Brick Appeal

LOOKING FORWARD