IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Higgins Walk, SMETHWICK, B66 3DF

The difficulties with providing water to the summit level locks at Smethwick on Brindley's canal became apparent soon after it opened in 1769. The solution was to recirculate the water lost in the lock operation by pumping. Two pumping engines designed by Boulton & Watt were installed at Smethwick and Spon Lane. These were replaced in the 1890s by a new pumping station at Brasshouse Lane. The beam engine is now in the ThinkTank museum in Birmingham. The foundations were excavated in 1984 and are contained within a protective building.

This is a view of the open air excavation of the foundations of a 1779 Boulton & Watt canal pumping engine. The engine is now in Thinktank in Birmingham and a building has been put over the foundations but they are rarely on public show. We were one of very few groups of people to be invited onto the site one Saturday afternoon and were honoured and delighted to be given this opportunity. We - the Stationary Engine Research Group, later to become the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES).

This is a view of the open air excavation of the foundations of a 1779 Boulton & Watt canal pumping engine. The engine is now in Thinktank in Birmingham and a building has been put over the foundations but they are rarely on public show. We were one of very few groups of people to be invited onto the site one Saturday afternoon and were honoured and delighted to be given this opportunity. We - the Stationary Engine Research Group, later to become the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES). This view is a close-up of the cylinder end showing the four cylinder holding down bolts and the underlying foundation with access holes to the holding down bolts.

The Smethwick Engine foundations This is a view of the open air excavation of the foundations of a 1779 Boulton & Watt canal pumping engine. The engine is now in Thinktank in Birmingham and a building has been put over the foundations but they are rarely on public show. We were one of very few groups of people to be invited onto the site one Saturday afternoon and were honoured and delighted to be given this opportunity. We - the Stationary Engine Research Group, later to become the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES). This view is from the cylinder end with the four bolts marking the position of the cylinder. The pump well is at the far end and filled with puddle clay.

The building provides a shelter for the excavated foundations https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5112880 of the 1779 Boulton and Watt engine which pumped water into the summit level of the Birmingham Canal. The engine itself was removed for preservation in 1897-8 following the building of a new pumping house in 1892. The engine itself is now displayed in the Think Tank in Birmingham. The site is a scheduled monument.

This is a view of the open air excavation of the foundations of a 1779 Boulton & Watt canal pumping engine. The engine is now in Thinktank in Birmingham and a building has been put over the foundations but they are rarely on public show. We were one of very few groups of people to be invited onto the site one Saturday afternoon and were honoured and delighted to be given this opportunity. We - the Stationary Engine Research Group, later to become the International Stationary Steam Engine Society (ISSES). This view is from the cylinder end with the four bolts marking the position of the cylinder. The pump well is at the far end and filled with puddle clay.

This is the Engine arm with permanent moorings along one side and decrepit industrial buildings flanking it.

The Engine Arm had the primary purposes of giving access to the pumping engine at Engine Lane and acting as a feeder into the summit level at Smethwick Locks. Later it would serve the industries that grew up along it. Today it serves to provide secure mooring for cruising boats.

It is now possible to walk from the Engine Arm Aqueduct to the gate ahead that prevents access to the permanent private moorings beyond. There is an exit to Bridge Street just beyond the bridge. The feeder both supplied water from Rotton Park Reservoir to the Old Main Line but also took recirculated water from the bottom of the Smethwick locks to the top using steam pumps in a long since demolished pump house close by.