Netherton Tunnel was the last canaltunnel to be built in Britain during the Canal Age. The first sod was turned by the Lord Ward on 31 December 1855 and the canal opened on 20 August 1858, providing a waterway connection between the Black Country towns of Netherton and Tipton. It was built to relieve the bottleneck of the adjacent Dudley Tunnel which is very narrow, has alternating blocks of one-way working, and had waiting times of eight hours or more, and sometimes several days.
The Netherton tunnel was built with a width of 27 feet (8.2 m) to allow two-way working of narrowboats; and is brick lined throughout. It has towpaths running through it, one on each side, which enabled horse-drawn narrowboats to be pulled through it. Chainage (distance) markers are still visible on the Eastern wall. The tunnel was fitted, from the start, with gas lighting over the towpaths, though this was later converted to electricity and it is now unlit.
The air vents that run along the line of the tunnel and provide ventilation, and a shaft of light into the canal, are known by the locals as "pepper pots", because of their shape. They are brick-lined and the openings are covered by an iron frame or grill. The wide bore and good ventilation mean that boats using the tunnel today are allowed to use the power of their internal combustion engines, which is prohibited in the narrower Dudley Tunnel.
The tunnel cost £302,000 as opposed to the £238,000 estimate prior to construction. The main reason for the project being overbudget was the extra works necessitated by the condition of the ground through which the tunnel passes.[1]
In 1983, the British Waterways Board had 80 yards (73.2 m) of the brick invert replaced with concrete as a result of the invert rising sufficiently to impede navigation.[2]
In 2011, significant cracks were found in part of the tunnel lining.[3] Traffic through the tunnel was limited, as a result.[3] Repair work began early in 2013.[4]
Routeedit
The canal runs south-west from the BCN New Main Line at Dudley Port Junction and under the Old Main Line at Tividale Aqueduct. The northern mouth of the tunnel is near Dudley Road West, close to Tipton's border with Oldbury. An air-vent stands in the middle of Aston Road; another stands between two houses in Regent Road, both in the Tividale Hall estate near Dudley. The southern mouth of the tunnel is in Warrens Hall Park on the border of Dudley and Rowley Regis - the Bumble Hole and Cobb's Engine House are nearby. The Bumble Hole is a landscaped man made lake on the site of a former clay pit. The Dudley No. 2 Canal and the Boshboil Canal Arm are joined at Windmill End Junction. The Boshboil Arm was once part of a loop of the original Dudley Canal which went around Bumble Hole. This loop ceased to be part of the main line when a more direct line was cut. The loop became severed into two arms as a result of subsidence. The northern arm is the Boshboil Arm the southern is the Bumble Hole Branch.
Featuresedit
Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal (distances in miles)
netherton, tunnel, branch, canal, west, midlands, county, england, part, birmingham, canal, navigations, constructed, foot, elevation, wednesbury, birmingham, level, locks, total, length, branch, canal, miles, canal, tunnel, feet, long, netherton, tunnelnether. Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal in the West Midlands county England is part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations BCN It was constructed at a 453 foot elevation the Wednesbury or Birmingham level it has no locks The total length of the branch canal is 2 4 miles 3 9 km and the canal tunnel is 9 081 feet 2 768 m long Netherton TunnelNetherton Tunnel North Portal in use 2007OverviewCoordinates52 30 16 N 2 03 34 W 52 50435 N 2 05932 W 52 50435 2 05932 Approx tunnel mid point StatusOpenWaterwayBirmingham Canal NavigationsStart52 30 55 N 2 02 58 W 52 51534 N 2 04948 W 52 51534 2 04948 Northern tunnel portal End52 29 36 N 2 04 09 W 52 49335 N 2 06916 W 52 49335 2 06916 Southern tunnel portal OperationConstructed1855 1858Opened20 August 1858 1858 08 20 OwnerCanal and River TrustTechnicalLength9 081 feet 2 768 m Tunnel clearance16 feet 4 9 m Width27 feet 8 2 m TowpathYes two Boat passableYes Netherton Tunnel South Portal 2007 Netherton Tunnel was the last canal tunnel to be built in Britain during the Canal Age The first sod was turned by the Lord Ward on 31 December 1855 and the canal opened on 20 August 1858 providing a waterway connection between the Black Country towns of Netherton and Tipton It was built to relieve the bottleneck of the adjacent Dudley Tunnel which is very narrow has alternating blocks of one way working and had waiting times of eight hours or more and sometimes several days The Netherton tunnel was built with a width of 27 feet 8 2 m to allow two way working of narrowboats and is brick lined throughout It has towpaths running through it one on each side which enabled horse drawn narrowboats to be pulled through it Chainage distance markers are still visible on the Eastern wall The tunnel was fitted from the start with gas lighting over the towpaths though this was later converted to electricity and it is now unlit The air vents that run along the line of the tunnel and provide ventilation and a shaft of light into the canal are known by the locals as pepper pots because of their shape They are brick lined and the openings are covered by an iron frame or grill The wide bore and good ventilation mean that boats using the tunnel today are allowed to use the power of their internal combustion engines which is prohibited in the narrower Dudley Tunnel The tunnel cost 302 000 as opposed to the 238 000 estimate prior to construction The main reason for the project being overbudget was the extra works necessitated by the condition of the ground through which the tunnel passes 1 Contents 1 Repairs 2 Route 2 1 Features 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksRepairs editIn 1983 the British Waterways Board had 80 yards 73 2 m of the brick invert replaced with concrete as a result of the invert rising sufficiently to impede navigation 2 In 2011 significant cracks were found in part of the tunnel lining 3 Traffic through the tunnel was limited as a result 3 Repair work began early in 2013 4 Route editThe canal runs south west from the BCN New Main Line at Dudley Port Junction and under the Old Main Line at Tividale Aqueduct The northern mouth of the tunnel is near Dudley Road West close to Tipton s border with Oldbury An air vent stands in the middle of Aston Road another stands between two houses in Regent Road both in the Tividale Hall estate near Dudley The southern mouth of the tunnel is in Warrens Hall Park on the border of Dudley and Rowley Regis the Bumble Hole and Cobb s Engine House are nearby The Bumble Hole is a landscaped man made lake on the site of a former clay pit The Dudley No 2 Canal and the Boshboil Canal Arm are joined at Windmill End Junction The Boshboil Arm was once part of a loop of the original Dudley Canal which went around Bumble Hole This loop ceased to be part of the main line when a more direct line was cut The loop became severed into two arms as a result of subsidence The northern arm is the Boshboil Arm the southern is the Bumble Hole Branch Features edit Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal distances in miles Legend nbsp 0 BCN Dudley Port Junction nbsp Groveland Bridge nbsp Tividale Aqueduct nbsp 0 5 Northern tunnel portal nbsp Aston Road air vent nbsp Regent Road air vent nbsp Approx tunnel mid point nbsp Southern tunnel portal nbsp Cobb s Engine Pumphouse nbsp Cobb s Engine Bridge nbsp 2 4 Bushboil Branch Dudley Canal Windmill End Junction Point Coordinates links to map amp photo sources Dudley Port Junction 52 31 19 N 2 02 36 W 52 52204 N 2 04331 W 52 52204 2 04331 Dudley Port Junction Groveland Bridge Tipton Road A457 52 31 03 N 2 02 51 W 52 51758 N 2 04760 W 52 51758 2 04760 Groveland Bridge Tividale Aqueduct Old BCN Main Line 52 30 59 N 2 02 54 W 52 51640 N 2 04843 W 52 51640 2 04843 Tividale Aqueduct Northern tunnel portal 52 30 55 N 2 02 58 W 52 51534 N 2 04948 W 52 51534 2 04948 Northern tunnel portal Air vent No 16 52 30 45 N 2 03 07 W 52 512436 N 2 052015 W 52 512436 2 052015 Netherton Tunnel Air Vent No 16 Packwood Road Air vent No 14 52 30 35 N 2 03 16 W 52 50986 N 2 054329 W 52 50986 2 054329 Netherton Tunnel Air Vent No 14 Aston Road air vent 52 30 31 N 2 03 19 W 52 50850 N 2 05518 W 52 50850 2 05518 Aston Road air vent Regent Road air vent 52 30 25 N 2 03 25 W 52 50697 N 2 05708 W 52 50697 2 05708 Regent Road air vent Approx tunnel midpoint 52 30 16 N 2 03 34 W 52 50435 N 2 05932 W 52 50435 2 05932 Approx tunnel mid point Air vent No 8 52 30 15 N 2 03 34 W 52 504191 N 2 059364 W 52 504191 2 059364 Air vent No 8 Air vent No 6 52 30 06 N 2 03 42 W 52 501551 N 2 061764 W 52 501551 2 061764 Air vent No 6 Air vent No 4 52 29 57 N 2 03 51 W 52 499036 N 2 064032 W 52 499036 2 064032 Air vent No 4 Air vent No 2 52 29 47 N 2 03 59 W 52 496345 N 2 066459 W 52 496345 2 066459 Air vent No 2 Southern tunnel portal 52 29 36 N 2 04 09 W 52 49335 N 2 06916 W 52 49335 2 06916 Southern tunnel portal Windmill End Junction 52 29 30 N 2 04 13 W 52 49157 N 2 07019 W 52 49157 2 07019 Windmill End Junction Gallery edit nbsp Cobb s Engine House near the southern portal nbsp Netherton Tunnel inside northern portal showing the dual towpath nbsp Slippage in the roof of a southern end of the tunnel caused by the 2002 Dudley earthquake nbsp Netherton Tunnel northern portal nbsp Tividale Aqueduct with old turbine which once generated electricity to illuminate the tunnel nbsp Tividale Aqueduct and Netherton Tunnel northern portal nbsp Canal cottages on the branch at Tividale AqueductSee also edit nbsp United Kingdom portal nbsp Transport portal List of canal tunnels in the United KingdomReferences edit Roger Cragg 1997 Wales and West Central England Wales and West Central England 2nd Edition Thomas Telford ISBN 0 7277 2576 9 Repairers wary in Netherton heaving invert New Civil Engineer 1983 30 June a b Netherton canal tunnel on the move BBC Online 4 December 2012 Retrieved 8 February 2013 Repairing the M6 of the waterways BBC Online 8 February 2013 Retrieved 8 February 2013 Further reading editHadfield Charles 1969 The Canals of the West Midlands Second ed David amp Charles ISBN 0 7153 4660 1 Perrott David Mosse Jonathan 2006 Nicholson Waterways Guide 2 Severn Avon amp Birmingham Collins ISBN 978 0 00 721110 4 Palmer Marilyn 1994 Industry in the Landscape First ed Routledge p 189 ISBN 0 415 11206 0 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Netherton Tunnel Shead Jim Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal Shead Jim Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal History Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal amp oldid 1217600115, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
