Brick by Fire Brick.

 We set off the next day in light mizzle with the forecast set to brighten up somewhat and we didn't have far to go on this October day in 2020

We were soon at the top of the Delph Locks. The lock behind was on the original site but as you can see the old route veered off to the left. After the old flight closed the arm still served lime kilns and a saw mill. The locks in the flight in view were opened in 1858 and make a lovely run up or down. I always say on the blog when we pass this way, that if they were out in the country somewhere flocks of tourists would be gongoozling but hardly a soul saw us pass. Admittedly it wasn't ideal weather for it.

In November 1880 the top lock, behind me in this picture, was the scene of a lock rage incident. Samuel Hollis was coming up the flight and was approaching the top lock with his hand Thomas Bates. At the same time Joseph Foster and his mate Charles Wells were approaching from the top! There was the inevitable dispute about who would take the lock, but it couldn't be resolved and Hollis opened the top p[addles and Foster the bottom ones. And the argument continued. Meanwhile the pound with the timber yard on, Roberts and Cooper Co. filled and eventually flooded the yard. Mr. Cooper sped up to sort it out, but Hollis said it's nothing to do with me 'he opened the bottom paddles'. And of course Foster said it was nothing to do with , 'he opened the top paddles!'. In the end one of the yard workers found a windlass and closed the paddles. They were taken to court for wasting BCN water. The maximum fine was £5, but they were fined 25s plus costs each.

The old stables is now used for the volunteers etc. I'm not sure why there would be a stables along the flight, but then again why now! It seems to have been builot around WWI. There was a toll house below lock No.4 until the same time when it moved to next to the top lock.

In 1863 there was another case of lock rage that didn't end well. William Knibbs was on his way up at No.5 lock. John Male, the Nine Locks Lock Keeper was with him. Cornelius Wood was from a boat descending and was sent down by his steerer to ready the lock but had to return with the bad news. The steerer was David Allport stormed down demanding the reason why he wasn't given the lock. As he passed William, who was sitting on the lock beam, he gave his a push and he fell in the lock. The water was 15' down and 5' deep. They fished him out pretty quickly but he was found to be dead. He was put on a cart and taken to his house Rock's Hill which was close by the bottom of the flight. A subsequent autopsy found that he had drowned but had received a blow on the back of the head that must have knocked him out. Allport was eventually taken to Stafford Assizes and in March 1864 found guilty of manslaughter. The jury said there should be leniency though and he was given 6 months hard labour.

I love the waterfall by-washes that really roar in wet weather. You can clearly see the route of the old locks to the right.

At the bottom of the flight are these two arms. They accessed the Delph Firebrick factory. The second arm wasn't built until after WW1. On the other bank was a gas works.

This area of Brierley Hill seems to specialise in the production of Firebricks. The clay for these was one of the seams that was below the coal mines of the area. So although the coal may have been worked out the pits still provided the clay. Behind these offside moorings can be seen old brick ovens of part of a subsidiary of the Brettell Lane Works

The main Brettel Lane Works were accessed from the canal via a wide arm that left the canal here. They were owned by George King Harrison, a self made Victorian. He was born not far away at Coalbournebrook, Amblecote, and was put into banking at the Stourbridge and Kidderminster Bank by his father. However he soon got into commerce with his cousin William King Perrens when they took over existing fire clay works in Lye. They extended and modernised and bought others in Cradley and Wilencote that came with coal mines too. In 1866 they took on a small firebrick works on Brettell Lane and then purchased old pits at Nagersfield and Hawbush close by. They rebuilt the Brettell Lane plant and made it the finest fire clay factory in the area. An electric tramway was built from the Nagersfield pit, to the north, to the new plant. In 1875 Perrens retired and GKH continued to run the business until a couple of year before he died in 1906.

Fire Bricks being loaded.

The basin to the Brettell Lane works can be seen bottom right with the factory and kilns around them, along with the tramway going under Brettell Lane and heading to the top left corner and Nagersfield.

This monument is next to the canal on Brythill Drive that is just past the Brettell Road Bridge. As well as the numerous fire brick works here about just by the bridge there was also an iron and steel plant, and on the off side was a chain and anchor works. Maybe this is what the anvil represents on the top. This is on the disused  colliery on the bend just above Brettell Lane bridge in the map above.

We were soon at Leys Junction and for the first time turned right up the Fens Branch to have a look see. An adventure.

I haven't witnessed lock rage on quite the above scale, but it has been mighty close to fisticuffs several times. I always try to remember that most people on the canals are reasonable folk, but the odd idiot who thinks the world revolves round them is not worth losing your cool over. Just think of the first case in this blog!