Dudley Canal - History

History

The first canal connecting Birmingham to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (and hence the River Severn, River Trent, and River Mersey) was the Birmingham Canal. This joined the Staffordshire and Worcestershire at Aldersley, near Wolverhampton. The Dudley Canal was seen as part of a scheme to transport coal from coalfields near Dudley to Stourbridge, where it would be used for industry. Limestone and ironstone were other potential cargos. A meeting was held in Stourbridge in February 1775, at which Robert Whitworth was commissioned to survey a route, and the whole cost of the project was promised. The principal promoter was Lord Dudley, and the route ran from Dudley to Stourton on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire. A bill was placed before Parliament in the spring, but there was opposition from the Birmingham Canal Company, and the promoters withdrew it. They then split the canal into two parts, and presented bills for the Stourbridge Canal and the Dudley Canal, both of which became Acts of Parliament on 2 April 1776, despite further opposition from Birmingham.

Thomas Dadford, Sr., was engaged as the engineer and surveyor, and acted in this capacity until 1783, after which he was employed more informally. The junction between the Dudley canal and the Stourbridge canal would be at the foot of the 9-lock Black Delph flight. The Act allowed the company to raise £7,000, and this had been subscribed by July 1778, but was insufficient to finance the work. The company continued to call money on the shares, and raised £9,200 in this way, with each £100 share being worth £128. Construction work was completed by 24 June 1779, apart from a water supply reservoir at Pensnett Chase, although little traffic used the canal until the Stourbridge Canal was completed in December of that year. As built, the canal terminated at two basins at Great Ox Leasow and Little Ox Leasow, both built on land owned by T. T. Foley, one of the main shareholders.