Only three locks at the western end where it joins the Old Main Line. Interesting to see the various loops and arms created to maintain access to the old factories and wharves.
Note: We've included the Gower Branch on this map as it's only half a mile and with 3 more locks including Brades Staircase 2.
Lock Gates
Tunnel AqueductIn 1824 Thomas Telford was commissioned to look at alternatives to the Old Main Line canal that was beset with water shortages and other problems. He famously travelled the route of the Old Main Line and said the following:
"… little more than a crooked ditch, with scarcely the appearance of a towing path, the horses frequently sliding and staggering in the water, the hauling lines sweeping the gravel into the canal, and the entanglement at the meeting of boats being incessant; whilst at the locks at each end of the short summit at Smethwick, crowds of boatmen were always quarrelling, or offering premiums for the preference of passage; the mine owners injured by the delay, were loud in their just complaints."
His propose changes was for a new canal between Birmingham and Smethwick. It was to be wider and with a towpath on each side which meant that boats could pass each other without the problems on the Old Main Line.
The new route was straighter but still linked to, the loops and arms of the Old Main Line, creating Oozells Loop, Icknield Port Loop, Soho Loop, Cape Loop and Soho Foundry Loop, allowing access to continue to the factories and wharves previously maintained by the Old Main Line.
In 1838, the New Main Line opened with only 3 locks. Thomas Telford had died a year before. However, his design reduced the previous route from 22.6 miles to 15.6 miles. The Smethwick Summit was bypassed by 71 feet deep cutting.
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