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Bratch
The Bratch is an area of Wombourne in South Staffordshire, England, noted for its industrial heritage and more recently as a way station for walkers, riders and cyclists. Formerly, it was a small, separate hamlet, and became fully absorbed into Wombourne only in the 20th century. Population details for the 2011 census can be found under Wombourne. Etymology The name is derived from the Anglian dialect of Old English, in which the word ''brēc'' signifies newly broken-in land. There are a number of Bratches in Staffordshire, e.g. near Enville and Norton Canes. In each case, they are near the edges of ancient forests, so a bratch was a new clearing in the waste.W. H. Duignan, Notes on Staffordshire Place Names, Henry Frowde, London, 1902. Bratch Locks The Bratch Locks are a noted feature of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, planned by James Brindley, and opened in 1772 as a three lock staircase. They were later re-engineered as three separate locks. They are served by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wombourne
Wombourne is a major village and civil parish located in the district of South Staffordshire, in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Wolverhampton and on the border with the former West Midlands County, (the West Midlands County per se was dissolved in 1986). Wombourne has a parish council. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 13,691, which increased to 14,157 at the 2011 Census. Etymology and usage The Old English word ''burna'' signifies a stream, and a stream is a notable feature of the village. Formerly the village name was thought to mean "Womb Stream", or stream in a hollow, because this is a reasonable description of the situation. ''Burna'' was one of the terms for a stream used in the earliest Anglo-Saxon place names, and the stream was presumably itself called the Wom Bourn. However, today it is always distinguished from the village by the name Wom Brook, from another, slightly later, Old English term for a stre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staffordshire And Worcestershire Canal
The Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is a navigable narrow canal in Staffordshire and Worcestershire in the The Midlands, England, Midlands of England. It is long, linking the River Severn at Stourport in Worcestershire with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Haywood Junction by Great Haywood. History Creation James Brindley was the chief engineer of the canal, which was part of his "Grand Cross" plan for waterways connecting the major ports at Kingston upon Hull, Hull (via the River Trent, Trent), Liverpool (via the River Mersey, Mersey), Bristol (via the River Severn, Severn) and London (via the River Thames, Thames). The act of Parliament (UK), act of Parliament authorising the canal, the (6 Geo. 3. c. 97), was passed on 14 May 1766. This created "The Company of Proprietors of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Navigation", which was empowered to raise an initial £70,000 (equivalent to £ in ),, with a further £30,000 (equivalent to £ in ), if needed, to fund ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pumping Station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses, are public utility buildings containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are critical in a variety of infrastructure systems, such as water supply, Land reclamation, drainage of low-lying land, canals and removal of sewage to processing sites. A pumping station is an integral part of a pumped-storage hydroelectricity installation. Pumping stations are designed to move water or sewage from one location to another, overcoming gravitational challenges, and are essential for maintaining navigable canal levels, Water supply, supplying water, and managing sewage and floodwaters. In canal systems, pumping stations help replenish water lost through lock usage and leakage, ensuring navigability. Similarly, in land drainage, stations pump water to prevent flooding in areas below sea level, a concept pioneered during the Victorian era in places like The Fens in the UK. The introduction of "package pumping statio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corliss Steam Engine
A Corliss steam engine (or Corliss engine) is a steam engine, fitted with rotary valves and with variable valve timing patented in 1849, invented by and named after the US engineer George Henry Corliss of Providence, Rhode Island. Corliss assumed the original invention from Frederick Ellsworth Sickels (1819- 1895), who held the patent (1829) in the US patent office. Engines fitted with Corliss valve gear offered the best thermal efficiency of any type of stationary steam engine until the refinement of the uniflow steam engine and steam turbine in the 20th century. Corliss engines were generally about 30 percent more fuel efficient than conventional steam engines with fixed cutoff. This increased efficiency made steam power more economical than water power, allowing industrial development away from millponds. Corliss engines were typically used as stationary engines to provide mechanical power to line shafting in factories and mills and to drive dynamos to generate electricit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pumping Station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses, are public utility buildings containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are critical in a variety of infrastructure systems, such as water supply, Land reclamation, drainage of low-lying land, canals and removal of sewage to processing sites. A pumping station is an integral part of a pumped-storage hydroelectricity installation. Pumping stations are designed to move water or sewage from one location to another, overcoming gravitational challenges, and are essential for maintaining navigable canal levels, Water supply, supplying water, and managing sewage and floodwaters. In canal systems, pumping stations help replenish water lost through lock usage and leakage, ensuring navigability. Similarly, in land drainage, stations pump water to prevent flooding in areas below sea level, a concept pioneered during the Victorian era in places like The Fens in the UK. The introduction of "package pumping statio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Staffordshire
South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, Kinver, Landywood, Penkridge, Perton, Wedges Mills, Weston-under-Lizard and Wombourne. The district covers a largely rural area lying immediately to the west and north-west of the West Midlands conurbation. The neighbouring districts are Stafford, Cannock Chase, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Bromsgrove, Wyre Forest, Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time: * Cannock Rural District * Seisdon Rural District The new district was named South Staffordshire, reflecting its position within the wider county. Governance South Staffordshire District Council, which styles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toll House
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road, canal, or toll bridge. History Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Those built in the early 19th century often had a distinctive bay front to give the pikeman a clear view of the road and to provide a display area for the tollboard. In 1840, according to the Turnpike Returns in Parliamentary Papers, there were over 5,000 tollhouses operating in England. These were sold off in the 1880s when the turnpikes were closed. Many were demolished but several hundred have survived for residential or other use, with distinctive features of the old tollhouses still visible. Canal toll houses were built in very similar style to those on turnpikes. They are sited at major Lock (water navigation), canal locks or at junctions. The great age of canal-building in Britain was in the 18th century, so t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lock (water Transport)
A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a chamber in a permanently fixed position in which the water level can be varied. (In a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson (engineering), caisson) that rises and falls.) Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to cross land that is not level. Over time, more and larger locks have been used in canals to allow a more direct route to be taken. History Ancient Egypt In Ancient Egypt, the river-locks was probably part of the Canal of the Pharaohs: Ptolemy II is credited by some for being the first to solve the problem of keeping the Nile free of salt water when his engineers invented the lock around 274/273 BC. Ancient China During 960–1279 CE, the natural extension o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wombourn Railway Station
Wombourn railway station was the main intermediate station on the Wombourne Branch Line, situated at the Bratch. It was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1925 and closed in 1932. It was a grandiose affair with a goods yard and many station amenities. This, however, didn't stop poor patronage which led to the station's closure a mere seven years after opening. It remained in use for freight traffic until the line passing through the station was closed on 24 June 1965. The building survives, however, and is now a tearoom, popular with walkers, and an information centre. It also is the second only station building to still be still in situ on the South Staffordshire Railway Walk. The station itself was named Wombourn, the standard spelling of the time, in preference to the spelling Wombourne. This is the result of a decision made by the Great Western Railway, who feared confusion with the similarly named Wimborne Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Industrial Heritage
Industrial heritage refers to the physical and intangible legacy of industrialisation, including buildings, machinery, workshops, sites, and landscapes of historical and technological significance. Stefan Berger and Steven High define industrial heritage as a field that not only preserves material remains but also reflects the socio-economic and cultural transformations brought by industrialisation. Industrial heritage also includes Cultural trait, sociofacts, such as aspects of social and institutional organizations, and Cultural trait, mentifacts, comprising the attitudinal characteristics and Value (ethics), value systems associated with industrial heritage sites, reflecting its Interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary nature. The industrial heritage of a region forms part of its cultural heritage, contributing to local identity by reflecting historical progress and developments. The scientific study of industrial remains is called industrial archaeology. In this field, the princ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lock (water Navigation)
A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a chamber in a permanently fixed position in which the water level can be varied. (In a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the chamber itself (usually then called a caisson (engineering), caisson) that rises and falls.) Locks are used to make a river more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to cross land that is not level. Over time, more and larger locks have been used in canals to allow a more direct route to be taken. History Ancient Egypt In Ancient Egypt, the river-locks was probably part of the Canal of the Pharaohs: Ptolemy II is credited by some for being the first to solve the problem of keeping the Nile free of salt water when his engineers invented the lock around 274/273 BC. Ancient China During 960–1279 CE, the natural extension o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bilston
Bilston is a market town in the City of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands County, West Midlands, England. It is in the Black Country, south east of Wolverhampton city centre and close to the borders of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough, Sandwell and Walsall Metropolitan Borough, Walsall. The town was known for Vitreous enamel, enamelling from the mid-17th century, and is a former coal and iron mining district. Iron works dominated in Victorian era, Victorian times and the area became a centre for steel production. The town had a population of 34,639 at the 2021 Census. History Bilston was first referred to in AD 985 as ''Bilsatena'' when Wolverhampton was granted to Wulfrun then in 996 as ''Bilsetnatun'' in the grant charter of St. Mary's Church (now St. Peter's Collegiate Church, Wolverhampton). ''Bilsetnatun'' can be interpreted as meaning the settlement (''ton'') of the folk (''saetan'') of the ridge (''bill''). It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a village called ''Billes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
