Hugh Mc Knight has compiled an article using photographs from a pair of
albums in his possession that had been compiled by H.R Hodgkinson. These
concern a number of well known images most of which also appear in the
Birmingham Library Collection under the title of the Warwickshire
Photographic Survey.

Hugh wants to find out more about H.R Hodgkinson, but some of the captions
to the images might need further work.

p64 Photo of Nine Locks - "original flight of 9 locks were rebuilt as
eight"-indicates the replacement flight of 6 new locks might have been on
the original course, when of course the older 7 of the nine were on a
different alignment
p66 Swing Bridge on the Dudley No 2 Canal. If this is the image of the
bridge- it is actually a Lift Bridge which spanned the canal for a foot path
and farm way at Selly Oak. The path led from Weoley Park Farm
p66 Holliday Street Wharf and Granville Street Bridge- the caption mentions
a builders yard opposite, which was in reality Doultons Wharf- they made
salt glazed sanitary ware, chimney pots etc
P67 Bittal Reservoir Engine House- Hugh state it was pulled down in the late
1930's- Ian Hayes booklet on the Reservoir mentions that the plant was
dismantled in 1934, however part of the structure still remains. I was there
yesterday when checking out elements of the RCHS walk around the site on
Saturday 20th June
p69 The BCN Old Wharf offices were said to have been demolished about 1928-
It is true that the wharf and coal merchants offices remained. The BCN
vacated the Old Wharf Offices during 1912 and moved to Daimler House. There
was a plan for Birmingham Corporation to make a road through the Old Wharf,
but this came to nothing and this plan might have influenced the move. The
Old Wharf offices were dismantled and the site was occupied by a new range
of buildings which were private offices not associated with the BCN. This
design of this block can be traced through building plans and I recall a
photo of these building appearing in the Birmingham Weekly Post.

As to H R Hodgkinson, Hugh does say he was an early member of the Inland
Waterways Association- so perhaps more can be found out about him from IWA
records.

Ray Shill
Industrial Historian