Worcester and Birmingham Canal
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The Worcester and Birmingham Canal is a canal linking Birmingham and Worcester in England. It starts in Worcester, as an 'offshoot' of the River Severn (just after the river lock) and ends in Gas Street Basin in Birmingham.
The parliamentary bill permitting its construction was passed in 1791. A further Act of Parliament authorised the raising of more money in 1808.
The canal was surveyed by Josiah Clowes and John Snape. Its engineers changed often, and included Thomas Cartwright, John Woodhouse and William Crosley.
Work began from the Birmingham end, but progressed slowly. Selly Oak was reached in October 1795 and Kings Norton by May 1796. By March 1797 the 2726 yard (2493 m) tunnel at Wast Hill was open and the canal was trading to Hopwood. In 1807 the canal reached Tardebigge. The final 16 miles (26 km) was opened in December 1815.
Until 1814, direct connection to the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) was prevented by the Worcester Bar, a physical barrier at Gas Street Basin, Birmingham designed so that the BCN would not lose water to the Worcester and Birmingham. Cargoes had to be laboriously manhandled between boats on either side. The bar still exists, with boats moored to both sides of it, but a narrow opening allows boats to navigate from one side to the other.
A major user of the canal was the Cadbury chocolate factory at Bournville.
There are 58 locks in total on the canal, including the 30 Tardebigge locks, one of the largest lock flights in Europe. The canal climbs 428 feet from Worcester to Birmingham.
The canal is popular for leisure and has a number of narrowboat hire centres at Alvechurch, Viking Afloat (Worcester), Anglo-Welsh (Tardebigge), Brook Line (Dunhampstead) and Black Prince (Stoke Prior).
The canal forms part of the Stourport Ring, which is one of the popular cruising rings for holiday boating.
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| River Severn, UK | edit | |
| Counties: Montgomeryshire | Shropshire | Worcestershire | Gloucestershire | Monmouthshire | Bristol | Somerset | Flows into: Bristol Channel Towns: Llanidloes | Newtown | Welshpool | Shrewsbury | Ironbridge | Bridgnorth | Bewdley Major tributaries: Rea Brook | River Perry | River Tern | River Vyrnwy | River Stour | River Teme | Upper Avon | Lower Avon | River Wye Linked canals: Staffordshire and Worcestershire | Birmingham and Worcester | Droitwich Major crossings: Welsh Bridge | English Bridge | The Iron Bridge | Severn Bridge | Severn Tunnel | Second Severn Crossing | Aust Severn Powerline Crossing | (Other crossings) |
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| Longest UK rivers: 1. Severn 2. Thames 3. Trent 4. Great Ouse 5. Wye 6. Tay 7. Spey 8. Nene 9. Clyde 10. Tweed 11. Eden 12. Dee | ||
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