Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bridges carry the towpath over factory feeders near Horsley Fields Junction
.
The Lord Hay's Branch to Newtown has now been lost but over 2km of the Cannock Ex-
tension can be seen running away from Pelsall Junction in a dead-straight line.
After passing the Royal Oak pub and some new houses, the route becomes especially tor-
tuous, with the bends being replaced with corners that are tight for narrowboats. The Swan
pub (along with its ghost of a coal-covered miner in the bar) stands away behind a house with
a prominent barrel-shaped dovecote.
Catshill Junction brings in the Hay Head or Daw End Branch, the most important branch of
all as it linked up with the Rushall Canal to provide access to the industry of Birmingham. As
the Wyrley & Essington loops round Brownhills, it passes the Anchor pub and then reaches
open country on the right, with extensive views in the direction of Shenstone.
At Ogley Junction the Anglesey Branch joins, bringing water supplies down from Chase-
water. A lattice bridge takes the towpath across and the Wyrley & Essington turns right into
a basin that is now the effective terminus of the canal. The canal was extended to Huddles-
ford in 1797 via the 30 locks of the Ogley Flight but this was abandoned in 1954 and now a
garden centre stands on what was once a significant engineering feature.
The canal has lost 10km from here. The route formerly ran to the north of the prominent
church spire at Wall and past the more famous spires of Lichfield. There are plans to restore
this section as the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal.
