Time for a change

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 19:41

We had about one hour and a half left on the Staffs and Worcs Canal

So we went up Kinver Lock, set against us, then Hyde lock followed by Dursley Tunnel.

Spotted on the cottage wall in Hyde Lock

Stewponey Lock was our last before changing direction. Nearby is Stourton Castle. A bit of a hotchpotch of styles, it is now in private hands. It has a claim to "fame". A friend of Mary Tudor - Cardinal Pole - was born were in 1500. He became the Archbishop of Canterbury after Cranmer was burned at the stake.

Stourton Castle over the other side of the River Stour

So after Stourton Bridge we turned right

This lock is the beginning of the Stourbridge Canal

The Canal was built by the engineer Thomas Dadford and, with its companion the Dudley Canal, was completed in 1779. It linked the River Severn, via the Staffs and Worcs Canal, with the Dudley Canal, thence to the Birmingham Canal Navigations and finally to Birmingham and the Black Country.

It was a profitable canal until the eve of World War II: coal. iron and steel being the main cargoes on the working boats. The coming of the railways in the mid 1850s actually helped this canal survive, Stourbridge having an interchange basin between rail and canal.

It is now a popular leisure cruising canal, and is part of the so-called Stourport Ring. Its more recent fame was due to the breach in September 2008 and the issues around its repair. We shall look out for the site on our journey.

Looking back to Stourton Junction from Stourton bottom lock (20)

Staffs and Worcs Canal, Kinver to Stourton Junction - 1 hour 40 minutes, 1.93 miles, 3 locks