The Anglesey Branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal

Tuesday, 09 February 2010 20:11

Epiphany beats the news!

Yesterday we turned off the main Wyrley and Essington Canal and onto the Anglesey Branch. Some say this branch begins at Catshill Junction, others maintain that it begins at Ogley Junction. The restoration of the Lichfield Canal may make this Branch more popular as it will meet the Wyrley and Essington Canal here.

Catshill Junction sign without the Anglesey Branch arm

I shall assume that the Branch starts at Ogley, as the main line of the Wyrley and Essington used to descend through locks after Ogley Junction down to Huddlesford Junction on the Coventry Canal. This section was abandoned in 1954. More about this on a later occasion

Turning onto the Branch and Anchor Bridge

We passed by Ogley Junction

We were now only just over a mile from the end of the Branch and as we continued North East after Ogley Junction we realised how rural this bit of the canal is.

Looking through Anglesey Bridge

The M6 Toll Road is away over the fields

Then followed two bridges sandwiched by a railway aqueduct. The railway is now disused and the aqueduct walls have been rather abused by the locals!

Crossing the railway aqueduct

Before Burntwood Bridge is a lovely house beside what looked like a winding hole

However I do not think they would be too pleased to see a narrowboat turning here and the real winding hole is after the M6 Toll Bridge, imaginatively called Anglesey Wharf Bridge.

The coal chutes on Anglesey Wharf are still there - just.

Just past here the canal bends a little and we found ourselves in Anglesey Basin with Chasewater Reservoir high above it. The mooring rings are actually by the overflow weir on the right and as you can see this is in operation with a good flow of water entering the Basin. Not a good place to moor and we suspected that they were emptying the reservoir as we knew that repairs were due to begin.

Anglesey Basin

Overflow weir and sluice house above

Now - this is where my strap line becomes relevant - "Epiphany beats the news". Lichfield Council own the reservoir and the dam in the photos above is weakened. They are in the process of draining the canal so they can repair it. We were surprised to see the Chasewater Reservoir featured on BBC's Midlands Today this evening! Ah - but we were there before them, but had left by the time it was filmed so no chance of fame!

No wonder we noticed that there is a lot of water on the Wyrley and Essington Canal! We turned around in the Basin and returned to Anglesey Wharf to moor for the night.

Epiphany moored at Anglesey Wharf

Today we walked back to have a closer look at the Reservoir - see my next blog!