Bromford Junction () is a
canal junction at the foot of the Spon Lane Locks where the Spon Lane Locks Branch meets the
BCN New Main Line near
Oldbury in the
West Midlands,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
History
The location of the junction was originally on the
Wednesbury Canal, a branch of the Birmingham Canal which had been authorised by
Act of Parliament in 1768. Because there were collieries at Wednesbury, the branch and the section of the main line from it to Birmingham was opened first, in 1769, and a lucrative trade in coal developed. Between the junction site and Birmingham was a ridge of land, and the six Spon Lane Locks were situated to the east of the site, to raise the line from to the summit level of . At Smethwick, another six locks dropped the canal to the same level, known as the Birmingham Level. The rest of the main line left Spon Lane Locks between the third and fourth lock, at the Wolverhampton Level, and maintained that level to Wolverhampton, where it dropped through twenty locks (later increased by one) to reach the
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 a ...
at
Autherley Junction
Autherley Junction () is the name of the canal junction where the Shropshire Union Canal terminates and meets the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal near to Oxley, north Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England.
History
The Staffordshire a ...
. This section was completed in 1772.
The locks up and over the Smethwick summit caused problems with congestion and with water supply, and in the 1790s, a new cut was made at the Wolverhampton Level, which removed the need for three of the locks at both ends of the summit. This did not alleviate the problem entirely, and in 1825 the engineer
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well ...
was commissioned to improve the main line. His canal, like others he built, cut across country in as straight a line as possible, using embankments, cuttings and tunnels where necessary to maintain a level. His new main line left the old one at Factory Locks, where three locks dropped the canal to the Birmingham Level, and followed a straight path to
Pudding Green Junction, where it intersected the Wednesbury Canal. The old line of that canal between the intersection and Bromford Junction was widened and straightened, and became part of the main line, leaving a shortened
Wednesbury Old Canal. To avoid the locks over Smethwick Summit, Telford built a huge cutting, up to deep in places, slightly to the south of the original line. The old line from the top of the remaining three locks at Spon Lane was carried over it at
Stewart Aqueduct. Two junctions were created to maintain the connections, Bromford Junction at the west end of the cutting and
Smethwick Junction at the east end. The bypass was opened on 18 December 1829, and when the new main line was completed, it reduced the length of
James Brindley
James Brindley (1716 – 27 September 1772) was an English engineer. He was born in Tunstead, Derbyshire, and lived much of his life in Leek, Staffordshire, becoming one of the most notable engineers of the 18th Century.
Born in the Peak ...
's winding
contour canal by to .
Location

To the west, the canal is level for to the foot of Factory Locks, passing Pudding Green Junction and the Wednesbury Canal after . To the east it is level to its terminus at Worcester Bar, a distance of . The branch to Spon Lane Locks also heads east, running almost parallel to Telford's cut, and the bottom lock of the three is just a short distance along it.
There are two
cast iron
Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
towpath bridges at the junction, both made at
Horseley Ironworks
The Horseley Ironworks (sometimes spelled Horsley) was a major ironworks in the Tipton area in the county of Staffordshire, now the West Midlands, England.
History
Founded by Aaron Manby, it is most famous for constructing the first iron s ...
in Tipton. The one over the Spon Lane Locks Branch has an elliptical arch, with abutments made of brick and
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
dressings. Each side is made in two parts, which are bolted together. It carries the inscription "Horseley Iron Works 1829", and is a
grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
structure. The bridge over the new main line is of similar design, but the lattice-work sides were manufactured in three sections, joined by bolts, the middle section of which carries the inscription "The Horseley Company Tipton 1848". The Spon Lane Locks are also grade II listed.
See also
*
List of canal junctions in Great Britain
*
List of canal aqueducts in Great Britain
This list of canal aqueducts in the United Kingdom covers Navigable aqueduct, aqueducts that have articles in Wikipedia. The actual number of canal aqueducts is much greater.
See also
*:Aqueducts in the United Kingdom
*Navigable aqueduct
*C ...
*
List of canal basins in Great Britain
This List of canal basins in the United Kingdom is a list of articles about any canal basin in the United Kingdom.
Birmingham Canal Navigations
* Caggy's Boatyard, Tipton, on the BCN New Main Line
*Gas Street Basin, Birmingham, at the junc ...
*
List of canal locks in Great Britain
*
List of canal tunnels in Great Britain
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
References
{{Birmingham Canal Navigations
Canal junctions in England
Birmingham Canal Navigations
Canals in the West Midlands (county)