As far as Birmingham Canal Navigations go, the Daw End is quiet a rural canal.
Lock Gates
Tunnel AqueductJoins the northern end of the Rushall Canal at Longwood Bridge and weaves its way North to join the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Shireoak.
Constructed to carry limestone to the Black Country furnaces.
History of the Daw End Canal
This short canal that runs for just over three miles from Rushall Junction on the Tame Valley Canal to a coal wharf at Daw End near Walsall, in the West Midlands of England. It was built in the early 19th century to transport coal from local mines to the industrial heartlands of the Midlands.
The canal was originally proposed in 1794 as a branch off the Tame Valley Canal to serve the coal mines in the Rushall and Pelsall areas. However, the project was delayed due to a lack of funding and it was not until 1800 that construction began.
The canal was designed by the engineer James Walker, who had previously worked on the Trent and Mersey Canal and the Coventry Canal. It was built to a narrow gauge of 7 feet, with no locks along its route.
Construction was completed in 1804, and the canal quickly became an important transportation link for the local coal industry. The canal was owned and operated by the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN), a network of canals that served the industrial areas of Birmingham and the Black Country.
During its early years, the canal was a busy commercial waterway, carrying coal and other goods to the Birmingham and Wolverhampton areas. However, with the decline of the coal industry in the 20th century, traffic on the canal declined and it fell into disrepair.
In the 1960's the canal was acquired by the Walsall Canal Company, and in the 1970's a restoration project was undertaken. The canal was re-opened to navigation in 1983, and today it is popular with boaters and walkers who enjoy the quiet and picturesque surroundings.
The Daw End Canal is now part of the larger network of canals known as the BCN, which includes over 100 miles of waterways in the West Midlands. Its history as an important transportation link for the coal industry in the 19th century and its subsequent decline and restoration, make it an important piece of Britain's canal heritage.
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