After our dash to the pub yesterday, as our friend was driving he couldn't stay for a second pint so I felt it only right that I should mark the occasion with another before heading back to the boat.
The church perched above the town of Kinver makes a nice picture with some of the nice buildings too.
The next morning Helen wanted to do a little shopping so I suggested that she should walk up to have her retail therapy and I would bring the boat up and do some little jobs on the boat whilst I waited for her. It all worked well and we were coming up the lock outside the Vine at about 11:00.
Dunsley Tunnel is only 25 yards long! Possibly the shortest tunnel, that is not a bridge, and has laid claim to been the oldest tunnel on the canal system surviving today as it was built around 1769/70. It is cut through the sandstone and not lined.
Stwepony Lock is under the main road. There is the octagonal toll house and this house by the lock. It looks to me as if the house was either a mill or warehouse at one time. Bu April 1771 the Staffs. and Worcs. Canal was only open between Stourport and Compton Lock but was open for cargoes. The general toll for non perishable toll for goods was 2.5p per mile per ton. For nails and clay from Stewpony to Stourport the toll was a 2s per ton. The name Stewpony is said to be after 'stipeny' that was two pennies. This was the cost of a glass of beer at a certain class of hotel found along the turnpikes and there was the was the Stewpony and Foley Arms by the lock that catered for the coach traffic.
Before and after the lock you get glimpses of Stourton Castle (pronounced Stower, Stir or Store 'ton). It was first a proper castle built in about 1132 and passed between several families and royalty including the Duke of Clarence, Tewkesbury Abbey and Henry VIII. Parts of the surviving building, apart from the original Medieval gatehouse of the castle, was probably built in 1580's by a Thomas Whorwood. In 1832/33 when the remodeled and partly rebuilt The gatehouse and three wings were incorporated into the new building with a new front completing the four sides. The courtyard was covered over.
We had stopped for water at Kinver, as it was free, and so continued on past the tap after Stewpony Lock and straight on past Stourton Junction, We do like the Stourbridge Canal and then on to Brum, but not this time.
This picture with the mature trees lining the tow path reminds me of the French roads where trees were planted supposedly to give shade to marching troops. Nobody marching today.
This is all that remains of the Gothersley Round House that was similar to the one at Gailey. It was damaged in 1991 by storm and has come to this. It marked a wharf that served an extremely busy Gothersley Ironworks, that has disappeared completely.
Ashwood Basin was a busy centre of traffic, especially coal for the canals. In 1827 James Foster for the John Bradley Co and the Earl of Dudley agreed to build a 3.5 mile railway from the basin to Shut End on Pensett Chase to bring coal to the basin. It opened in 1829 and eventually stretched from Ashwood to Baggeridge and Netherton, including the Round Oak steel works. It was known as the Pensett Railway. The last traffic to the basin was in 1949, but some of the lines survived until 1966. It was rediscovered in the mid 50's and slowly a marina was born. I love the old windlass on the corner. I wonder if it was the original to heave the boats in and out of the basin?
The pumping station at Hinksford is rater shy and hides its face from the canal. It was built for the South Staffordshire Water Co in 1900/01. As it appears on the 1900 25 inch OS map it must have been largely completed by then. It is not as ornate as the one at Bratch but they still put plenty of detail into the brickwork.
I love this lock house at Bumblehole Lock. It just looks solid and purposeful. I love the iron windows and stops and it must be original with the canal. It is Listed as Grade II.
We arrived at the bottom of Bratch Locks at about 16:30 and there was a minor revolt from Helen who didn't fancy even more locks today. I wanted to have the tow path on the st'bd side as I had some work to do, but the old wharf that fed the Bratch pumping station with coal was free, and so I had st'bd side access, and the mutiny was cancelled.
Once tied up I set to sanding the very poor parts of the boot topping and managed to get a lot of it done by 18:00. I quickly put a coat of Feratan on and called it a night. I had been watched by several groups of twenty somethings that came to sit at the bench and drink and smoke weed, but I think the noise of the sander caused them to move on. We both slept well!!
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