Mills and Much more.

 It was cold over night but nice and bright, and more to the point, wind free. Just as we were getting sorted to get on the move a hire boat passed, so we took our time.

Helen is taking the boat into Lock No.3. There were no volunteers on the locks today and they were obviously all against us, that is until they weren't when a couple of boats were met.

Lock No.4 is quite picturesque with the little warehouse, now given over for volunteers I think, and the cottage.

This is where the HS2 is crossing the M42 Motorway as well as the canal. Work going on in either direction as far as the eye can see.

Bridge names are interesting sometimes. This is Helen leaving lock No.8 and heading under 'Double Bridge'. Why it is called that is obvious as it is double lane wide on the deck. Why this should be so is more problematic. Even on the 1887 OS map there is no road or highway of even a track leading to an important property. The only thing I can see is that the field boundaries extend down the middle of the bridge. Does this mean that each side belongs to another and so some how they didn't want to cooperate over rights of way and so it had to be constructed so they could each pass on their 'own' side? A good story, but does anybody know the truth?

There was no work going on at the Dog and Doublet lock but \t the next lock we met the Candy Boat motor and butty coming up so there was a short delay. The weather has brilliant and was nice to chat. We also stopped at the Bodymoor Heath services and divested ourselves of all the rubbish we had picked up on the descent from Birmingham. What with everything it was three hours before we popped out at the bottom lock. Just here it got really busy, a boat mooring and two gongozzlers! It is Fisher's Mill Lock. Fisher's Mill refers to a corn mill over to the right on the River Tame. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and in 1291 there were two mills working, but by 1702 it was down to one again. Ownership can be traced through the 19th Century but became unused in 1905 and was demolished in 1925 to make river improvements. It seems that the foundations and and watercourse can still be traced.

The canal bridge is top left on the 1887 OS map extract

This pheasant had his Sunday best on as we passed.

Just yet another thing I have never spotted before when we have passed up and down this canal, the entrance to Drayton Manor Park. It opened in 1950, and when came once or twice in the 60's and 70's it was nothing like this, really just like a really good park! I even saw one of the tall rides above the trees, also for the first time.

Whilst the big mill down by the junction, Tolson's Mill, gets all the views, especially as it is now being converted to apartments, the older mill is the one by the footbridge on the left. It was built by Robert Peel at the end of the 1700's. It has 19 bays and the first 8 to the left were built first. The three storeys have cast iron windows and there is vehicle access direct into the building. Tolson bought this mill first and it became a tape mill. He later moved to the larger premises.

We stopped at the mooring just before the junction to pop and get some milk etc, but we were soon on our way, turning left and heading for Hopwas. This is another bridge with an interesting name, Bonehill Road Bridge. I had a check wondering if it was associated with an opened up tumulus or similar, but no it refers to Bonehill House. It was a house built for the widow of Edmund Peel who died in 1850. The house was built as a Dower House. He was the brother of the Robert Peel of  Fazeley Mill fame. The Peel family made their money with calico mills at Fazeley. There were also fish ponds, reservoirs and a bleach works at Bonehill too.

This boat at Huddlesford looked very interesting. It looks like the stern was cropped off and a short welded bit added. Anybody got any ideas of its origin?

Since Fazeley it had got cooler as the sun spent less time appearing. We had had slight rain and even some short snow flurries, but after passing Streethay Wharf I was wondering whether we would get moored up before getting a soaking?

I nearly crashed the boat trying not to disturb the reflection of this oak as we approached.

Just before Bridge 88 was this ghost tree! I don't think I have seen a birch so white and it really stood out.

These buildings by the A38 bridge have been there since 1881 at least. It certainly looks as though it was once a canal wharf warehouse. However the bridge that is now the A38 was called Limekiln Bridge then. Mind you I can see no evidence of them on the map.

It seemed to be ages to get to Fradley and as the first bit of Armco was free we moored up just as the rain got thicker and heavier, so we just about made it!