Oldbury Locks.
View from the highest point on the BCN.
This is a flight of locks built in 1837 to make a navigable canal out of what was originally a feeder water supply dating back to 1773 from the Titford Pools. This short canal (the Titford Canal) has featured a few times in this blog. It is the highest level on the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN). It became derelict in the 1960s, but was restored in 1973/4. The Oldbury Locks, otherwise known as the Titford Locks or “The Crow” connect this canal to the main navigations.Sadly, although restored and with the pump house at the top being the headquarters of the BCN Society, this canal sees little in the way of boats. This is a shame, as cruising the now newly dredged Titford Pools is an experience well worth the enjoying. The nickname of “The Crow” comes from Jim Crow, the owner of the chemical works, which had its own branch that had a junction midway in the flight. This works has featured in this blog a couple of times – once because they forced Lloyds Bank to open their first branch in Oldbury and also when I featured the remains of the Oldbury railway branch line.
- Taken: 1 Mar 2020
- Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
- Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L II USM
- Focal Length 24mm
- F/4
- 1/30 Sec
- ISO 1600