Hello Wednesdaywalkers of Hive!
Today, I went for a wander along some of the canals in Birmingham city centre.
I had no idea that there were so many of them, feeding into the heart of the city and beyond.
Construction of this original 'Birmingham Canal Main Line' began in 1760's, following the route and occasionally merging with a nearby river from the main basin in the centre of Brum.
From point 'You are here' to point 4 is a 40 minute ramble. The whole loop walk was about two hours.
By 1784, an agreement was made between its owner and another company to form what is now the overarching body that manages the entire canal network. As the boats got bigger and demand increased, the first canal was expanded and improved, by digging a short cut through meanders in the river, documents show a huge amount of coal was saved.
In between the merger of 1784 and 1858, vast extensions and tunnels were added and a lot of improvements expanded the network to coal districts and surrounding areas.
Nowadays, the role of the canal has changed with time. What was once the fastest and most direct way to get materials and products out of the city, the canals are now similar to cycle highways in major cities- a direct, safe route for commuters cutting right through developments
The speed of new developments popping up around the city is amazing. Meanwhile, the outskirts are full of old and derelict buildings from a long lost industrial era where buinesses depended on the canals to export their products.
More to explore to the north of the central basin but that's for another time.
Take care everyone!
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