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Broad Meadow Lane, BIRMINGHAM, B30 3NS

Bridge No1 on the Stratford-on-Avon canal. Nr King's Norton Junction

This unique stop lock with two guillotine gates was built to avoid loss of water from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal when the Stratford Canal joined it at King's Norton junction. There are changes since the 1988 photo Image] including the new railing and many more trees, but sadly graffiti remains a common problem.

This unusual Guillotine Lock raise and lowers the water by nothing at all! This view was taken from beneath the arch of Bridge No 1 on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The bridge crosses the middle of the lock. It is noticeable that the bridge is far wider than it needs to be. When the canal was planned and started in the mid 1790s the intention was for a wide canal supporting wider than the standard seven foot beam narrowboats. They soon ran out of money building the first few (lockless) miles with wide bridges, and by the time the first stage to Kingswood Junction (with the Warwick and Birmingham Canal - now Grand Union) was open in 1803, the whole idea of a wide canal had been abandoned. All the locks to Stratford (eventually reached by 1815) are narrow. Therefore, this lock at King's Norton, was put in place after the decision not to accommodate wide boats was taken. For more lock details see: Image] Image]

Assuming the other photo direction is correct, mine is on the opposite side of the bridge in the diametrically opposite direction - the pictures are not reversed. This is not a conventional lock with a level change. It is a stop lock to stop water flow and to protect the Stratford Canal from any loss in the Birmingham & Worcester. The Stratford Canal was owned by a separate company. This is a very rare beast and consists of one gate each side of the bridge.

The lock is a stop lock, constructed by the Stratford-on-Avon Canal to prevent the Birmingham & Worcester Canal taking their water. Instead of the usual lock gate pivoting about a vertical axis, the gates on this lock are both of the guillotine variety, and these days are generally left open. The lock as a whole is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, while the guillotine gate is a Grade II* Listed Structure. This is the western gate. Please see Image for the eastern gate. Beyond the guillotine gate is the Lifford Lane bridge which crosses over the lock. This is a Grade II Listed Structure, contemporary (c 1795) with the lock and gates, and included in the listing for group value. This bridge is Bridge Number 1 on the Stratford-on-Avon Canal.

The gates are now permanently left open.

This unusual lock had been drained to allow repair work to be carried out on the brickwork and the gate mechanisms. After all the scaffolding had been put in place, and prior to work starting, an open day was held for members of the public to view the inside of the lock. In the centre of the photo is one of the gates covered in scaffolding and tarpaulin sheets. On the left of the photo are members of the public being issued hi-viz tabbards and hard hats before being guided along the length of the lock. On the right of the photo is the start of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal, and one of the two temporary coffer dams constructed each side to keep the water out of the lock during the works.

This is on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. Beyond the lock is Bridge No 1 (Broad Meadow Lane), and beyond that is the junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. This part of the canal was built in the mid 1790s, though financial problems caused delays before the canal could open as far as Kingswood Junction (with the Grand Union) in 1803. The second stage (to Stratford) did not start until 1812, and was finished by 1815. Initial plans for a wide canal (the reason for the wide bridges and tunnels) were abandoned at an early stage. Regarding the lock, Nicholson's Guide to the Waterways is concise and informative: In the days of the private canal companies, stop locks were common at junctions, as one canal sought to protect its water from any newcomer. King's Norton Stop Lock is unusual in having two wooden guillotine gates mounted in iron frames, (one each side of the bridge), balanced by chains and counterweights. The machinery is not now used and boats pass under the two gates without stopping.

This is on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. Beyond the lock is Bridge No 1 (Broad Meadow Lane), and beyond that is the junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. This part of the canal was built in the mid 1790s, though financial problems caused delays before the canal could open as far as Kingswood Junction (with the Grand Union) in 1803. The second stage (to Stratford) did not start until 1812, and was finished by 1815. Initial plans for a wide canal (the reason for the wide bridges and tunnels) were abandoned at an early stage. Regarding the lock, Nicholson's Guide to the Waterways is concise and informative: In the days of the private canal companies, stop locks were common at junctions, as one canal sought to protect its water from any newcomer. King's Norton Stop Lock is unusual in having two wooden guillotine gates mounted in iron frames, (one each side of the bridge), balanced by chains and counterweights. The machinery is not now used and boats pass under the two gates without stopping.