BW164/12
London and Birmingham Junction Canal
Date
1828-1841
Reference code
BW164/12
Administrative / Biographical history
Devised in response to growing threat from the railway, this scheme was one of several intended to improve communication between London and Birmingham. With Thomas Telford as engineer, the original plan of 1827 was a line from the Stratford Canal 10 miles from Birmingham to the Grand Junction Canal at Braunston, with a branch to Coventry. The scheme was opposed by the Trent & Mersey and Warwick canals, and the Oxford Canal Company, whose northern sections would have been greatly affected by a loss of trade from the Birmingham area. Following this opposition, the route was modified, first in 1828 to run from 3 miles farther down the Stratford and end at Ansty, and then again in 1830, to end at Brinklow. A bill was introduced in February 1830 but ran into trouble when it was learned that all the subscribers had been entered without their consent. The bill was subsequently thrown out and Telford withdrew from the scheme.
For more details, see 'The Canals of the East Midlands (including part of London)' by Charles Hadfield and 'The Illustrated History of Canal & River Navigations' by Edward Paget-Tomlinson.