THE WALSALL CANAL:
The Walsall Canal is a 7 mile canal that runs from The Birmingham Mainline Canal to the Wyrley and Essington Canal near Birchills. Although now there are only a few canals that meet with the Walsall canal, in its heyday there were many branches leading off the canal the remains of most can still be seen. The canal passes through a few local areas..
- Great Bridge where you will find a staircase of locks, the canal runs between the town and the retail park.
- Ocker Hill where it meets with the Tame Valley Canal at Ocker Hill Junction
- Wednesbury where the Midland Metro runs across the canal,
- Moxley where the canal runs underneath the Moxley Junction Roundabout on the A41.
- Darlaston, The canal runs around the outskirts of Darlaston, passing George Rose Park and then alongside the Black Country Route
- M6 motorway, The canal runs underneath the Motorway between Junctions 9 and 10
- Walsall, At Walsall the canal is joined by the Walsall Town Arm which runs into the town centre terminating at the New Walsall Art Gallery.
- Birchills, after a few locks from Walsall the canal meets with the Wyrley and Essington Canal at Birchills.
DARLASTON NUT & BOLTS:
Darlaston is best known for its nuts, bolts, and fastenings which were made in vast quantities in large factories, employing thousands of people. It is not known when the industry began in the town, but it appears to have its origins in the early nineteenth century.
At the beginning of the early 19th century Darlaston's industry consisted of many small workshops in back yards behind people's houses, that were ideal for small family businesses producing tools, nails, gunlocks, and gun barrels etc. The first Darlaston Nut and Bolt factory opened on Heath Road in 1907. It was a family business that started by making wrought iron nuts and bolts. They quickly realised the advantages of steel and produced some of the first steel nuts and bolts in Darlaston. The business quickly grew and many of the company's products were produced from bright drawn steel.
THE M6 MOTORWAY:
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction (J45). Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74(M) which continues to Glasgow as the M74.At 257.5 miles it holds the title of England’s longest motorway. This cache is placed very close to the M6 Bridge, where the Motorway crosses over the Walsall Canal.
MORE INFO: Wikipedia: M6 Motorway |
ABOVE PICTURE: © Copyright David P Howard and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.