The canal bridge removed by the Droitwich Canals Trust has just been
repainted and will be installed across the new section of Junction
Canal off the Hanbury Road Max-



-- In CanalScapeBCN@..., "RayShill" <heartland@...>
wrote:
>
> BCN Bridges
>
> Following the piece on Bradley Maz Sinclair has made the following
> observation
>
> "Thank you for your intersting article. Back in the 1970's the
> Droitwich Canals Trust was given a simple iron bridge of early
design
> from the Bradley Canal at Darlaston by B.W.. We physically carried
the
> curved sides to our lorry on the road.It was placed in a field by
Lock
> 4 above Porters Mill with the intention of using it across the
mooring
> basin in Vines Park at some time in the future. Regards Max"
>
> BCN and the associated West Midland Waterways drew on the skills of
local
> ironmasters and iron founders who provided a number of iron bridges
that
> fulfilled various roles as
>
> (1) Side Bridges for Towparth
> (2) Turnover Bridges
> (3) Road Bridges over the waterway
> (4) Foot Bridges over the waterway
> (4) Aqueducts
>
> Those who know the BCN will be well acquainted with the Horseley
Company,
> whose engineering works, foundry and furnaces were located at
Tipton beside
> the Toll End Communication.
>
> It was there that iconic structures such as the Galton Bridge across
> Smethwick Deep Cutting was cast. Building the New Main Line led to
a number
> of side and turnover bridges being supplied by Horseley to the BCN
such as
> those dated 1827 at Deep Cutting/ Old Turn Junction and the 1824
Bridge
> known as Pelsall Works Bridge over the Wyrley & Essington Canal
>
> The Horseley Bridge dated 1829 is an enigma. This bridge crosses
the Wyrley
> & Essington Canal to carry the towpath over the main waterway to the
> Anglesey Branch. As the original canal feeder was not converted
into a
> navigable canal until the years 1850/1851, the purpose of erecting
a bridge
> there in 1829 is not clear. It is generally assumed the bridge was
moved
> from another location, probably from a section where construction
of the
> Stour Valley Railway caused diversion of the BCN.
>
> The names of other iron founders are perhaps less well known, but a
list of
> these might be useful to put together and also deserving further
research.
>
> For example
>
> (a) Toll End Iron Works- bridges New Main Line at Dudley Port and
Junction
> of Netherton Tunnel Branch
>
> There were several Toll End Ironworks located near the BCN Walsall
Branch
> including those that belonged to John Bagnall & Sons and another
that were
> owned by Motteram & Deeley
>
> (b) New Main Line at Ladywood- Thompson, Astbury & Co
>
> Astbury and Co were located in Rolfe Street
>
> (c) William Whitmore iron Founder Lionel Street, Birmingham
>
> Perhaps most well known for the manufacture of Edstone Aqueduct,
Stratford
> upon Avon Canal.
>
> (d) John Bradley & Co, Stourbridge
> The two canal basins into the Bradley Works, one built before the
other.
> They were spanned by a brick and an iron footbridges to carry the
towpath
> of the Stourbridge Arm. The iron footbridge carries the name John
Bradley,
> Coalbrookdale. It is generally accepted that this bridge was made
before the
> foundry was established at Stourbridge (John Bradley & Co- did make
bridges)
> and the supplier was Coalbrookdale- that is the Coalbrookdale
Company famous
> for the Iron Bridge over the Severn. However it is not usual for
makers to
> also give the customer. James Foster trading as John Bradley & Co
were
> asociated with the Barnetts Leasowe Furnaces near Jackfield after
1821.
>
> (e) Highfields Foundry- Thomas Perry
> Thomas Perry owned the Highfields Foundry, which was located at
Ettingshall
> on a branch off the Bradley Loop not far from the Bankfield
Ironworks
> recently discussed on Canalscape. They provided the side bridge
that carries
> the towpath over the entrance to the Chillington Ironworks Basin (
Later
> Monmore Green Interchange Basin).
>
> Ray Shill
> 13 08 2007
>