The Stourbridge Canals & Dudley Number 1.

With the Droitwich Canals behind us, we returned to Stourport, where after a short bus trip to Kiddeminster, Jacky left us.  I won't bore you by repeating myself and what I wrote in August - "Exam & Trip to the River Severn", other than to say, from Stourport, we cruising back up the Staffs & Worcs canal, through Kiddeminster, Wolverley, Kinver and stopping at the lovely named hamlet of Stewpoey.

At Stewponey, the Staffs & Worcs canal meets the Stourbridge Canal.  Once on the Stourbridge canal we were straight into 4 locks - the Stourton flight.

Domino in the first lock.  Behind Domino is the Staffs & Worcs canal with another boat cruising along.

Domino almost up the first lock.

For a history of the Stourbridge Canal see - wikipedia - Stourbridge Canal

The first of many imaginatively named bridges - this one is called "Four Locks Bridge".











The top lock of this short flight, with a pretty cottage alongside. 

The flight of locks is a gentle one, rising a mere 32 feet.

The small hamlet of Stewponey soon gave way to a pretty but rural stretch of canal, made all the more pleasant by being done in the sunshine.

After a couple of miles we reached Wordsley Junction.  Straight ahead was the first of 16 locks (the Stourbridge locks), heading towards Dudley and Birmingham, but to the right was the Stourbridge Town Arm, and that was our destination for that day.

Before we had gone far along the arm, we began to suspect that it might not be well used - hence the amount of weed and water lilies.

The end of the Town Arm, where we moored for the night.








The following day, we cruised back along the Town Arm, to the bottom of the Stourbridge locks.  When we reached the first lock we were please to find it empty and therefore ready for us to proceed our assent.  Out of all 16, we only ended up emptying one lock, which meant we went through these locks at a record speed.

 
One our way up the locks, we went passed  "Redhouse Cone" -  The Red House Cone was built in 1790 and is now the best preserved of only four glass cones remaining in the UK. Around 100 feet high, the cone was built in the late 1700s and was used for glassmaking up to 1936 by glassmakers Stuart Crystal.

The picture to the left is take as we passed the cone, whilst the next picture is taken, looking back down the locks towards the cone.  The Cone really dominates the landscape.

see also - red house cone

Over much of the flight, we passed many pretty houses, including this one.  At first glance we thought it was a pub, but it turned out to be a small general store.

We were quite surprised how pretty some of this flight was.

This gorgeous fellow would have spent all day being fussed and might well have followed me back to Domino, although he did belong to the little general store.

Locks 9 and 10 are commonly known as the staircase, however they are not a true staircase.  In a staircase locks, the top gates of one lock are the bottom gates of the next lock.  Here, both locks 9 and 10 have their own separate lock gates.  They only appear to be a staircase because of the small gap between them.  The gap is fed from a side pound.  The locks are very similar to the ones at Bratch on the Staffs & Worcs  (see "Exam & Trip to River Severn).

As we reached the top lock, we went under another imaginatively named bridge - "Top Lock Bridge"

Just to say we got there!

Looking back at the top lock - over the 16 locks, we had risen 145 feet, in just over a mile.

Normally that would be enough for us, but we were now on the "BCN" (Birmingham Canals Network", and it is advised to moor overnight only at certain places, and the area around the top of these locks was not one of those areas.

Over the course of a mile and a half we encountered a full three piece suite, the picture to the left only shows one of the arm chairs.

 The Stourbridge Canal ends where it meets the Dudley Number 1 Canal at Black Delph Bridge, and the first of a flight of 8 locks, which can be seen under the bridge.  The flight originally consisted of 9 locks, but 7 of the original flight were rebuilt as 6 in 1858.  And after all this time the flight is still often referred to as the 9 Delph locks.







Not an inspiring welcome to the flight

During the whole day doing 24 locks we only met one boat at locks - at least we had a big enough pound to pass in!










Most of these locks have these spectacular waterfalls.

A well-restored stable block by lock 3













The 8 Delph locks have a rise of 85 foot.

After the locks we cruised a short way along to "Merry Hill" shopping centre, commonly called Merry Hell, where we moored for the night.













 As to Tonni, she has such a hard life!