River on the hill.... Canal History
River on the hill....
Closer examination of the layout of the land you will notice that this water course is flowing not in the valley but half way up the hill...?
What is going on?
Birmingham is famous for it's canals, this cache highlights a part of that history.
This water course is a canal feeder, it originates at wychall reservoir which was in itself built by the canal companies. It was built in the early 19th century by the Worcester Canal Company, after mill owners claimed that water was being taken from the River Rea to fill the canal, thereby reducing the working effectiveness of their mills. The water flows along the contours of the land in this manmade river half way up the hill into the canal to keep the canal topped up with water.