tarboat's photos with the keyword: bcn

Night shot of day boats in the canal arm at the Black Country Living Museum. These narrowboats were used around the Birmingham Canal Navigations and the Great Western Railway owned boats would have been employed moving goods to and from a number of interchange basins owned by the railway company. These are referred to as day boats as they were not lived on as a matter of course unlike the long distance narrowboats. The cabin is smaller than on the latter vessels and provided some shelter and a stove for warmth. The boatmen would usually go home at night as they would never be far from there on the Birmingham Canals. Occasionally they would spend a night on the boat but this was not the usual practice. The initials TB & Co on the rudder or elum are thos of Thomas Bantock & Company. Bantock became boatage agent to the recently completed Oxford Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway in 1853 and then to the Great Western Railway in 1855 dealing with canal wharf to rail transfers. In 1858 he set up a business as Thomas Bantock and Company with offices within the Great Western Railway station at Wolverhampton. He was appointed as ‘carrier’ for the Wolverhampton District. The agency was for: ‘carriage of rail-borne goods by road less than 40 miles along a route taken between places within a 25 mile radius of Wolverhampton Low Level Station’. He was paid a percentage of the GWR charge to customers. The cartage agents, as later referred to, were required to provide suitable vehicles, in an approved livery, horses and harness and employ civil, energetic men to the GWR Company’s satisfaction. In 1860 Bantock owned 51 canal boats working from GW/OWW transfer wharves on the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN). In 1861 he was still the Duke of Bridgwater’s Trustees District agent too. Bantock boats were based throughout the Black Country including 5 boats at Stourbridge (1858 to 1956) and 3 at Stourport. The Great Western had its own narrow boats working on the BCN and in 1866 Bantock hired 16 boats from the GWR at £15 per month. Thomas Bantock and Company expanded their interests becoming an ironmaster, coal mining (Ettingshall Lodge Colliery, Springvale 1865-90), and boat builder at Ettingshall Dock, Millfields. They built for themselves and the GWR completing 116 boats by 1895. They were said to have built their own railway wagons at the same works. The Company offices were now based at the rear of Albion Wharf at Herbert Street, Wolverhampton.

A whole fleet of tarboats are tied up here at the yard of Thomas Clayton (Oldbury) Limited on the Titford Canal. Thes boats carried gasworks bye products such as gas tar and ammonia water to Midland Tar Distillers at Oldbury and from the mid 1950s at Four Ashes on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. Until the mid 1950s they also brought gas oil from Stanlow on the Manchester Ship Canal. Clayton's canal operations ran down in the 1960s and their yard seen here disappeared under the M5 motorway viaduct after 1966.

Tanker narrowboat descending the lower section of the Rushall Locks near Walsall on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. There isn't much traffic on these further reaches of the BCN which is a great shame as the boating is lovely.

The Wyrley Branch canal was originally northern end of the main line of the Wyrley and Essington Canal when it opened in 1795 to a wharf close to Cannock Lodge Colliery. It became a branch shortly after when the extension from Sneyd to Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal was completed in 1797. Several further branches were constructed off this line, but all had fallen derelict by 1954 when this section was abandoned. This view is looking into the bottom lock at Sneyd Junction.

The Wyrley Branch canal was originally northern end of the main line of the Wyrley and Essington Canal when it opened in 1795 to a wharf close to Cannock Lodge Colliery. It became a branch shortly after when the extension from Sneyd to Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal was completed in 1797. Several further branches were constructed off this line, but all had fallen derelict by 1954 when this section was abandoned. This view is looking into the top lock of the Sneyd flight.

The Wyrley Branch canal was originally northern end of the main line of the Wyrley and Essington Canal when it opened in 1795 to a wharf close to Cannock Lodge Colliery. It became a branch shortly after when the extension from Sneyd to Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal was completed in 1797. Several further branches were constructed off this line, but all had fallen derelict by 1954 when this section was abandoned. This view was taken at a time when extensive opencast coal mining was affecting the old canal and several sections including this piece heading northwards towards the former Broadlane Bridge at Bloxwich. Today at this spot it is filled-in and converted to a footpath.

Birmingham Canal Navigations sign still in place sign on the west parapet of Well Lane bridge, Wednesfield. This section of the Bentley Canal was still officially open at this time, but was actually completely derelict and unusable. Now filled in and built over.

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the empty channel looking back towards the junction at Wednesfield. Today the scene is virtually unrecognisable with industrial units built on the canal line.

Farmer's Bridge locks viewed from Newhall Street

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the top lock before infilling commenced. It looks usable, but in reality the canal behind me is drained and full of rubbish. Today the scene is virtually unrecognisable with industrial units built on the canal line.

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the third lock and industrial dereliction alongside. Today the scene is unrecognisable, with industrial units built on the canal line.

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the top lock and cottage in a completely derelict state but before infilling commenced. Today the scene is virtually unrecognisable with industrial units built on the canal line.

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the second lock full of rubbish and with top gates missing. Industrial devastation encroaches in the background. Today the scene is virtually unrecognisable with industrial units built on the canal line.

Opened in 1843 the Bentley Canal ran down a flight of 10 locks from the junction with the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Wednesfield for a distance of nearly three and a half miles to its junction with the Anson Branch. The section from the bottom of the six Wednesfield Locks to the Anson Branch was closed in 1960. The rest remained open but in reality became unusable very quickly due to lack of maintenance and removal of paddlegear. A few intrepid boaters forced a passage in the early 1970s and then it was abandoned and filled in. This view from April 1984 shows the top lock and cottage in a completely derelict state but before infilling commenced. Today the scene is virtually unrecognisable with industrial units built on the canal line.