The Grove Colliery was closed in 1952, men and horses were transferred to Harrisons (Wyrley Number 3). The Grove remained the screens for Harrisons, the minecars moving to the Grove, on their own, fascinated me when I saw them in the 1950's.
I’ve just watched this whole series and then watched it again. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Helen and yourself last week at St Thomas Church, (I was the larger chap in the Superdry coat). Your Red onion marmalade is fantastic, I can’t wait for your festival appearances next summer… anyway, it’s amazing that someone with such a passion for canals that is willing to spend their time and effort to make these fabulous Vlogs. I also love your articles in Narrowboat Magazine, I’ve learned so much about the history of the BCN and in particular, my obsession with the Cannock Extension Canal, thank you and look forward to more!
It was lovely to meet you Jon and I am delighted you enjoyed the series. The Cannock Extension has to be on the the most atmospheric lost lines for me too. The Vlogs are a joy to make and the work I do on them tends to spill over to the written NB articles which make a neat summary of the stories I find. See you at Brownhills next year!
Thanks Andy., I've enjoy all of your videos from the very beginning.. Was born in 1953 and lived in Abbotts Street in a house backing on to the canal between Little Bloxwich and Goscote. Have vivid memories of the barges going past carrying coal to Reedswood Power Station as a small boy, and trying to soak the bloke steering the last barge by throwing bricks. !!! Dad used to take us up to Shoal Hill on a Sunday and I can recall seeing the canal at Churchbridge as sometimes we would stop, but not sure if it was still in use commercially, be early 60s Live in Cannock now, my daily walks often take me to Hednesford Basin, the British Waterways sign is still there by the path down the side of KFC. Thanks again for all your efforts. Ken.
Lovely recollection Ken - stone throwing in the area seems to be something of an inherited tradition.... I must go and look for that sign - Malcolm Braine mentioned it as well.
I am a Cannock kid,81 years old so many memories of the canal and rail networks.Firstly a correction, the name of the colliery close to the East Cannock basin was the East Cannock Colliery,not North Cannock.My father, a lifelong railway signals, worked in East Cannock Junction signalbox during the 1930s.As a boy in the 1950s on the closures of East Cannock Colliery,one Sunday my father and I went to the box to watch the chimney stack being demolished in a very impressive cloud of brickdust.l look forward to the ongoing journey
Sometimes my head and my mouth seem to become disconnected.... My brain tells me its the East Cannock Colliery but put me in front of a camera and these errors spring out of the ether!
Thanks Andy another superb episode; my friends and I walked this very stretch of the Cannock Extension Canal earlier in the summer reaching the A5, love the photos of what has sadly now been lost, funny how people don't appreciate what they have until it is gone, looking forward to the next episode.
Fantastic Andy, I know almost every inch of this stretch but you are giving me a whole new perspective & history to go with it. Looking fwd to nx one as you’ll be passing my door😁
I used to go fishing in that canal and the disused and flooded clay pits I remember seeing horse drawn barges carrying sand to a metal spinning company at Redhouse Estate The barge was driven by a woman and was part of a Father and Daughter owned company I believe it was the last one operating commercially This was about 1964
Really cool video Andy. I'm usually fishing around there twice a week (weather permitting). Some friends and I were discussing those two basins at the top right of the Extension, just down from the A5 only this week. I still intend going to see them. I wonder, were there many anglers back in the day? I guess there'd be Perch in there as their eggs get carried on wading birds legs. Would have been a challenge a 100 years ago fishing while all those boats were moving. Very, very few boats move along there now-a-days. Thanks.
Grad you enjoyed it Roger - of you want to see more stills of the Hednesford all the images are on my blog "Captain Ahab's Watery Tales" The easiest way to find them is to google "Captain Ahab Hednesford"
Andy you have inspired me! I live in America and have been enjoying your historical vlogs so much. I have started researching America’s own Erie Canal which was built in the early 1800’s and is still open to boat traffic. Hoping to plan my own canal adventures for our family. It’s about a two day drive from where we live but here in America we are used to driving long distances for holidays😊. Happy hunting can’t wait for the next series👍🏻
Wow.. what a bit of history!.. Looks like quite a soggy and muddy trip along the canal.. Bet that was a bit hairy at times.. Enjoy and be safe from Missouri USA..
Love your videos Andy, shout out to the nearby town of Burntwood where I am from, which unforunately is lacking in canals, but does have Chasewater I guess
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 I was going to mentioned the multitude of tramways and industrial railway lines in the area, I'm sure they could cover a series in themselves! Keep up the great videos!
Oh i REALLY did enjoy that - bring back memories of that region in 1969 when I first went up there. I recall a pub called the United Kingdom, complete with a minor bird. I think the beer was a dark brew - Ansells Mild or was it M and B something. Years and years later, the area had completely changed as you have shown. I had hired an Ernie Thomas 'Bird' boat, from the bottom of the Hatherton Locks and looking at the tugs towing coal craft reminded me of "Empress" which i think was a tug he had. I always wonder what happened to the immensely powerful, rugged Empress.
Nearly bidded on/bought Pelsall stop (the buildings on the offside just before the junction) when they were still derelict. Parents grew up nearby so have some knowledge of the area, but it is a bit of a cycle from my life here!
Someone saw potential to make money, bought it, did it up and can't sell it is my guess. Looks nice on the outside but I don't know whether they managed to get services (water and electricity) to the site. It was an issue when I saw it. While I could have worked around them collecting my own it isn't everybody's cup of tea.
The photo labeled "Rumer Hill bridge" at 7:25 is the Norton Green Bridge.. Taken from the opposite side (Looking south towards the A5) from the picture of the same bridge at 16:00
I will have a look at that and correct the ordering on the blogsite Dean - getting the sequence of bridges right has been a bit of a mission for us. The one sure thing is that the captions where we find them generally help very little!
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 Thanks Andy .... I have seen this photo wrongly marked as the Rumer Hill on a number of occasions by others.... I'm 100% on this... Part of our adventure playground in the early 70's that area. You're uploads are always very well put together and I have learned loads from every one of them. I look forward to the rest of this brilliant series.
Great stuff as usual Andy, but just to be pedantic, I think at 4minutes 44 that`s Ashwood Basin on the Staffs & Worcs. Looking forward to the next post.
You may well be right Dave. I it was labelled Hednesford but I have never been able to identify which basin it was taken in, and I assumed Hednesford on account of the railway - but that would also work at Ashwood. Getting this accurate is a real collective effort!
Chris - there is a fuller photostream of the canal (and others) on another playlist. A Day Boat or Joey is the local name for unpowered narrowboats on the BCN which were used exclusively for short haul work which took a single day to complete (no overnight stays on board). Most Day Boats were open to the elements, but some had a very small shelter to protect the steerer in bad conditions.
It's called "Monumental Journey" from the RUclips library of royalty free music. The search for fresh background music is an ongoing challenge. I was a bit unsure that it was to "ambient" - what do you think?
The Grove Colliery was closed in 1952, men and horses were transferred to Harrisons (Wyrley Number 3). The Grove remained the screens for Harrisons, the minecars moving to the Grove, on their own, fascinated me when I saw them in the 1950's.
I’ve just watched this whole series and then watched it again. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Helen and yourself last week at St Thomas Church, (I was the larger chap in the Superdry coat). Your Red onion marmalade is fantastic, I can’t wait for your festival appearances next summer… anyway, it’s amazing that someone with such a passion for canals that is willing to spend their time and effort to make these fabulous Vlogs. I also love your articles in Narrowboat Magazine, I’ve learned so much about the history of the BCN and in particular, my obsession with the Cannock Extension Canal, thank you and look forward to more!
It was lovely to meet you Jon and I am delighted you enjoyed the series. The Cannock Extension has to be on the the most atmospheric lost lines for me too. The Vlogs are a joy to make and the work I do on them tends to spill over to the written NB articles which make a neat summary of the stories I find. See you at Brownhills next year!
Great maps!
Thanks Andy., I've enjoy all of your videos from the very beginning.. Was born in 1953 and lived in Abbotts Street in a house backing on to the canal between Little Bloxwich and Goscote.
Have vivid memories of the barges going past carrying coal to Reedswood Power Station as a small boy, and trying to soak the bloke steering the last barge by throwing bricks. !!!
Dad used to take us up to Shoal Hill on a Sunday and I can recall seeing the canal at Churchbridge as sometimes we would stop, but not sure if it was still in use commercially, be early 60s
Live in Cannock now, my daily walks often take me to Hednesford Basin, the British Waterways sign is still there by the path down the side of KFC.
Thanks again for all your efforts. Ken.
Lovely recollection Ken - stone throwing in the area seems to be something of an inherited tradition.... I must go and look for that sign - Malcolm Braine mentioned it as well.
I am a Cannock kid,81 years old so many memories of the canal and rail networks.Firstly a correction, the name of the colliery close to the East Cannock basin was the East Cannock Colliery,not North Cannock.My father, a lifelong railway signals, worked in East Cannock Junction signalbox during the 1930s.As a boy in the 1950s on the closures of East Cannock Colliery,one Sunday my father and I went to the box to watch the chimney stack being demolished in a very impressive cloud of brickdust.l look forward to the ongoing journey
Sometimes my head and my mouth seem to become disconnected.... My brain tells me its the East Cannock Colliery but put me in front of a camera and these errors spring out of the ether!
Loved it. Looking forward to the next.
Thanks Andy another superb episode; my friends and I walked this very stretch of the Cannock Extension Canal earlier in the summer reaching the A5, love the photos of what has sadly now been lost, funny how people don't appreciate what they have until it is gone, looking forward to the next episode.
Glad you are enjoying it Jezza - unpicking the history of the existing bits is proving to be just as interesting as the lost!
Thanks Andy, fascinating.
Used to live in Norton Canes in the early 60s, great memories.
Glad you enjoyed it Don
Fantastic Andy, I know almost every inch of this stretch but you are giving me a whole new perspective & history to go with it. Looking fwd to nx one as you’ll be passing my door😁
I pass mine in episode three.....
A lot a gaps filled in in this episode. Great video superb photos. Thank you for posting.
I am glad you are enjoying it.
I used to go fishing in that canal and the disused and flooded clay pits I remember seeing horse drawn barges carrying sand to a metal spinning company at Redhouse Estate The barge was driven by a woman and was part of a Father and Daughter owned company I believe it was the last one operating commercially This was about 1964
Thanks for sharing that great memory - it really brings the area to life.
Really cool video Andy. I'm usually fishing around there twice a week (weather permitting). Some friends and I were discussing those two basins at the top right of the Extension, just down from the A5 only this week. I still intend going to see them. I wonder, were there many anglers back in the day? I guess there'd be Perch in there as their eggs get carried on wading birds legs. Would have been a challenge a 100 years ago fishing while all those boats were moving. Very, very few boats move along there now-a-days. Thanks.
I find the remoteness is part of the charm. Glad you enjoyed the video - probably 7 or 8 more episodes to follow in this series.
Brilliant video, thank you. loved the Hednesford basin stretch photos and music.
Grad you enjoyed it Roger - of you want to see more stills of the Hednesford all the images are on my blog "Captain Ahab's Watery Tales" The easiest way to find them is to google "Captain Ahab Hednesford"
Great info for when I take the kids for walks around there, I can explain the history of it all 👍thankyou
They are a pleasure to research and make.
Andy you have inspired me! I live in America and have been enjoying your historical vlogs so much. I have started researching America’s own Erie Canal which was built in the early 1800’s and is still open to boat traffic. Hoping to plan my own canal adventures for our family. It’s about a two day drive from where we live but here in America we are used to driving long distances for holidays😊. Happy hunting can’t wait for the next series👍🏻
The Erie Canal has a great history of expansion and played a huge part in making New York what it became. Its on my bucket list......
Wow.. what a bit of history!.. Looks like quite a soggy and muddy trip along the canal.. Bet that was a bit hairy at times.. Enjoy and be safe from Missouri USA..
Love your videos Andy, shout out to the nearby town of Burntwood where I am from, which unforunately is lacking in canals, but does have Chasewater I guess
Burntwood was connected via tramways!
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 I was going to mentioned the multitude of tramways and industrial railway lines in the area, I'm sure they could cover a series in themselves! Keep up the great videos!
@@andrewreed7936 So much potential and so little time.....
Oh i REALLY did enjoy that - bring back memories of that region in 1969 when I first went up there. I recall a pub called the United Kingdom, complete with a minor bird. I think the beer was a dark brew - Ansells Mild or was it M and B something. Years and years later, the area had completely changed as you have shown. I had hired an Ernie Thomas 'Bird' boat, from the bottom of the Hatherton Locks and looking at the tugs towing coal craft reminded me of "Empress" which i think was a tug he had. I always wonder what happened to the immensely powerful, rugged Empress.
The United Kingdom is still there - just a bit to the west of Walsall.
Nearly bidded on/bought Pelsall stop (the buildings on the offside just before the junction) when they were still derelict. Parents grew up nearby so have some knowledge of the area, but it is a bit of a cycle from my life here!
Its in a bit of a hiatus at present I think. Renovated but not used. Odd.
Someone saw potential to make money, bought it, did it up and can't sell it is my guess. Looks nice on the outside but I don't know whether they managed to get services (water and electricity) to the site. It was an issue when I saw it. While I could have worked around them collecting my own it isn't everybody's cup of tea.
The photo labeled "Rumer Hill bridge" at 7:25 is the Norton Green Bridge.. Taken from the opposite side (Looking south towards the A5) from the picture of the same bridge at 16:00
I will have a look at that and correct the ordering on the blogsite Dean - getting the sequence of bridges right has been a bit of a mission for us. The one sure thing is that the captions where we find them generally help very little!
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 Thanks Andy .... I have seen this photo wrongly marked as the Rumer Hill on a number of occasions by others.... I'm 100% on this... Part of our adventure playground in the early 70's that area. You're uploads are always very well put together and I have learned loads from every one of them. I look forward to the rest of this brilliant series.
Great stuff as usual Andy, but just to be pedantic, I think at 4minutes 44 that`s Ashwood Basin on the Staffs & Worcs. Looking forward to the next post.
You may well be right Dave. I it was labelled Hednesford but I have never been able to identify which basin it was taken in, and I assumed Hednesford on account of the railway - but that would also work at Ashwood. Getting this accurate is a real collective effort!
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 The give away is the railway wagon with E D on the side, Earl of Dudley`s railway.
Superb always surprises me as a Londoner how you dee no one ?
I do tend to go hunting in the early morning but these are very remote areas.
Detelict day boats ?
What is a Day Boat ?
Superb evocative photos best in black and white
Chris - there is a fuller photostream of the canal (and others) on another playlist. A Day Boat or Joey is the local name for unpowered narrowboats on the BCN which were used exclusively for short haul work which took a single day to complete (no overnight stays on board). Most Day Boats were open to the elements, but some had a very small shelter to protect the steerer in bad conditions.
Has anyone looked at the lost canal between Tiverton - Taunton
I am sure Paul and Rebecca Whitewick have on their RUclips channel - its a bit off my patch.
Question; What is the music accompanying the photomontage called?
It's called "Monumental Journey" from the RUclips library of royalty free music. The search for fresh background music is an ongoing challenge. I was a bit unsure that it was to "ambient" - what do you think?
@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 Very ambient, very good track, better half loves it :-)
@@dhaosandy I will use more from the same stable then!