IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Lodge Road, BIRMINGHAM, B18 5BU

Looking west, the incinerator chimney of Birmingham City Hospital is on the left. The Soho Loop is a remnant of the original contour hugging Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line from Wolverhampton, engineered by Brindley, 1768-1772. It was superseded by Thomas Telford's new main line, mainly between 1824 and 1827. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Loop

Hockley Port is a special enclave, accessible by boat from the Soho Loop of the Birmingham Level of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. Originally part of Brindley's contour canal from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, this basin was constructed for the interchange of goods between the canal and railway network. Now it has become a residential mooring, and features a facilities block for water, toilet and washing. Some of the resident boaters are more welcoming to visitors than others.

Looking west, the incinerator chimney of Birmingham City Hospital is on the left. The Soho Loop is a remnant of the original contour hugging Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line from Wolverhampton, engineered by Brindley, 1768-1772. It was superseded by Thomas Telford's new main line, mainly between 1824 and 1827. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Loop

Working a local freight train, on the former Great Western Railway main line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. More than 800 locomotives of this class were built by the GWR between 1929 and 1948 and they were the company's workhorse locomotive for local freight and branch line passenger work. On the left a classic GWR semaphore signal, tubular steel post with finial, and slightly tapered lower quadrant arms.

A branch from the Soho Loop now used by houseboats. A locked gate prevents access.

Looking north-west as the canal curves round the Birmingham City Hospital site (off to the left) on a very dull drizzly morning. On the right is the junction with the arm leading to private residential moorings at Hockley Port. The Soho Loop is a remnant of the original contour hugging Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line from Wolverhampton, engineered by Brindley, 1768-1772. It was superseded by Thomas Telford's new main line, mainly between 1824 and 1827. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Loop

Looking north-west as the canal curves round the Birmingham City Hospital site (off to the left) on a very dull drizzly morning. On the right is the junction with the arm leading to private residential moorings at Hockley Port. The Soho Loop is a remnant of the original contour hugging Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line from Wolverhampton, engineered by Brindley, 1768-1772. It was superseded by Thomas Telford's new main line, mainly between 1824 and 1827. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Loop

This was the Birmingham Heath Branch (Soho Branch), off the current Soho Loop, built in 1801 to Matthew Bolton's Soho Works, which made fine jewellery till it closed in 1863. The arm now only leads as far as the private residential moorings at the Hockley Port Interchange Basin. See Captain Ahab's article here: http://captainahabswaterytales.blogspot.com/2011/11/birmingham-heath-branch-hockley-port.html The Soho Loop is a remnant of the original contour hugging Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line from Wolverhampton, engineered by Brindley, 1768-1772. It was superseded by Thomas Telford's new main line, mainly between 1824 and 1827. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Loop

Hockley Port is a dead-end branch off the Soho Loop of the Birmingham Canal Navigation. The canal opened in 1769 and the Soho Branch was built to connect it with Matthew Boulton's Soho Manufactory at Soho Wharf. The factory closed in the mid 19th century and was demolished, and Soho Wharf and the northern end of the canal branch were filled in during the 20th century. Three smaller branches have been built off to the east of the main branch, on the site of the Hockley railway goods yard, providing private residential moorings for boat owners. The housing that can be seen to the west of the canal branch stands on the site of the City Fever Hospital. For more on the Soho Manufactory see Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Manufactory. See also the early 20th century OS Six Inch map https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=16&lat=52.49440&lon=-1.92480&layers=6&right=OSAPI . For more information on Matthew Boulton, James Watt and canal building see Jenny Uglow, The Lunar Men, Faber & Faber, 2002.

On the current Soho Loop, this is at the junction with the former Birmingham Heath Branch (Soho Branch). It was built in 1801 to Matthew Bolton's Soho Works, which made fine jewellery till it closed in 1863. The arm now only leads as far as the private residential moorings at the Hockley Port Interchange Basin. The Soho Loop is a remnant of the original contour hugging Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line from Wolverhampton, engineered by Brindley, 1768-1772. It was superseded by Thomas Telford's new main line, mainly between 1824 and 1827. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soho_Loop