Wyrely and Essington - The Daw End Branch

Thursday, 11 February 2010 13:55

Yet another change of canal!

The Daw (pronounced locally as "Doe") End Branch of the Wyrley and Essington Canal leaves at Catshill Junction. It was built in 1794 to reach the Hay Head Limeworks and later named the Daw End Branch. Today it finishes at Longwood Junction and joins the Rushall Canal there.

Catshill Junction behind us

The branch is mainly rural and Catshill Junction, where Clayhanger Common borders the towpath, gives a taste of this. In the past, this land has been part of the Royal Forest of Cannock; then it was taken over by industry - brickworks and coal mines. It was prone to flooding, as it was low lying, but in the 1950s it was used as a rubbish tip and the land was raised about 20 feet.

It is now a nature reserve with ponds

The branch suffered subsidence and in places now runs along an embankment above houses in Brownhills. Some of these make use of the canal as a feature with raised areas (Titchmarshes?) alongside the canal.

Garden wharves

On the other side, the embankment falls away to disused quarries and small factories. At Walsall Wood Bridge they encourage angling!

Metal angler on a pole

The Aldridge area of Walsall apparently boasts "posh housing", traditionally the most expensive housing in the West Midlands; little of this is visible from the canal. Aldridge Marina is just before Northywood Bridge. Once this was a thriving Marina but is now reduced to permanent moorings.

Aldridge Marina and Basins

A pump out facility remains though and beyond the bridge are 24 hour visitor moorings

Daw End visitor moorings

A modern quarry lies on the offside after Northywood Bridge and then the industry begins on both sides.

Quarry pit

We thought this rather poignant, as we though that some people would be grateful to live in these abandoned portable cabins - surely they could be put to a better use here or abroad?

Blue cabin pile

The Daw End Branch now entered a section that was very shallow and weedy, with factories lining the banks. In fact, the canal stayed shallow nearly all the way to Longwood Junction.

Narrow, weedy and shallow after Aldridge Wharf

Hopley's Bridge is in the midst of this industrial section

Finally though, we were once again out in the countryside with the red brick arch of Brawn's bridge and an old stone cottage beside it.

Brawn's Bridge

There are two pubs after Daw End Bridge

The Boathouse - a modern pub restaurant

Manor Arms, a traditional canal pub

The Manor Arms used to be a farm house until the Ansons opened their front room as a beerhouse, selling beer to the boatmen on the canal from the rear. They sold beer from the late 1860s and John Anson is listed in Kelly's Directory of Staffordshire. The pub still has no bar and is reputedly haunted. Worth a visit then?

There was some lovely countryside around

We approached Longwood Bridge and the Junction was immediately after it.

Towards Longwood Bridge

Longwood Junction with Longwood Boat Club moorings and members narrowboats

The sun was beginning to disappear and it was getting really cold by now, so we were glad to stop!

We moored just past the Junction - technically on the Rushall Canal

Wyrley and Essington Canal, Anglesey Basin to Longwood Junction, Daw End Branch

2 hours 50 minutes, 7.13 miles, 0 locks