View source for Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal

{{Short description|Canal tunnel in the West Midlands, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox tunnel
|name             = Netherton Tunnel
|image            = Netherton Tunnel North Portal in use.jpg
|caption          = Netherton Tunnel North Portal in use 2007
|waterway         = [[Birmingham Canal Navigations]]
|location         =
|coordinates      = {{Coord|52.50435|-2.05932|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Approx. tunnel mid-point}}
|os_grid_ref      =
|start            = {{Coord|52.51534|-2.04948|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Northern tunnel portal}}
|end              = {{Coord|52.49335|-2.06916|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Southern tunnel portal}}
|owner            = [[Canal and River Trust]]
|engineer         =
|length           = {{convert|9081|ft|m|0}}
|width            = {{convert|27|ft|m|1}}
|height           = {{convert|16|ft|m|1}}
|depth            =
|passable         = Yes
|towpath          = Yes (two)
|construction     = 1855–1858
|opened           = {{Start date|1858|08|20|df=y}}
|rebuilt          =
|closed           =
|status           = Open
| module          = {{Infobox mapframe |wikidata=yes |zoom=12 |height=250 | stroke-width=1.5 |coord {{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
}}
[[File:Netherton Tunnel South Portal.jpg|thumb|right|Netherton Tunnel South Portal 2007]]

'''Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal''', in the [[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands county]], England, is part of the [[Birmingham Canal Navigations]], (BCN). It was constructed at a 453–foot [[elevation]], the Wednesbury or [[Water levels of the Birmingham Canal Navigations#453 ft. Birmingham Level|Birmingham level]]; it has no [[Canal lock|locks]]. The total length of the branch canal is {{convert|2.4|mi|km}} and the [[canal tunnel]] is {{convert|9081|ft|m|0}} long.

'''Netherton Tunnel''' was the last [[History of the British canal system#The Industrial Revolution|canal]] [[tunnel]] to be built in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] during the Canal Age. The [[Sod#Cutting the first sod|first sod]] was turned by [[William Ward, 1st Earl of Dudley|the Lord Ward]] on 31 December 1855 and the canal opened on 20 August 1858, providing a waterway connection between the [[Black Country]] towns of [[Netherton, West Midlands|Netherton]] and [[Tipton]]. It was built to relieve the bottleneck of the adjacent [[Dudley Tunnel]] which is very narrow, has alternating blocks of one-way working, and had waiting times of eight hours or more, and sometimes several days.

The Netherton tunnel was built with a width of {{convert|27|ft|m|1}} to allow two-way working of [[narrowboat]]s; and is [[brick]] lined throughout. It has [[towpath]]s running through it, one on each side, which enabled horse-drawn narrowboats to be pulled through it. [[Chainage]] (distance) markers are still visible on the Eastern wall. The tunnel was fitted, from the start, with gas lighting over the towpaths, though this was later converted to electricity and it is now unlit. <!-- They are now 16 feet high above the water level. WHAT ARE?: I assume it is the towpaths, not the lamps, the invert came up to almost water level.-->

<!--The towpaths were closed to members of the public in early 2007 but from October walkers are once again allowed to access the eastern towpath of the tunnel as a through route; on Sunday 10th October 2018, Claire Lea attempted to walk the tunnel, but turned back citing puddles and spookiness for not completing the walk.gates have been placed on both towpaths but only those on the western towpath are kept locked and can only be unlocked by authorised personnel. Today (July 2009) the northern gate on the western path is open and unlockable and the one on the southern gate disappeared altogether. Nevertheless the western towpath is very derelict with long and deep potholes full of water. 
In 2012 both were opened on my visit but can I find to reference to their recent changes in status as confusingly described here  so commented out.-->
The air vents that run along the line of the tunnel and provide ventilation, and a shaft of light into the canal, are known by the locals as "pepper pots", because of their shape. They are brick-lined and the openings are covered by an iron frame or grill. The wide bore and good ventilation mean that boats using the tunnel today are allowed to use the power of their [[internal combustion engine]]s, which is prohibited in the narrower Dudley Tunnel.

The tunnel cost £302,000 as opposed to the £238,000 estimate prior to construction. The main reason for the project being overbudget was the extra works necessitated by the condition of the ground through which the tunnel passes.<ref>Roger Cragg, 1997. ''Wales and West Central England: Wales and West Central England, 2nd Edition''. Thomas Telford ({{ISBN|0-7277-2576-9}})</ref>

==Repairs==
In 1983, the [[British Waterways Board]] had {{convert|80|yd|m|1}} of the brick invert replaced with concrete as a result of the invert rising sufficiently to impede navigation.<ref>"Repairers wary in Netherton heaving invert", ''[[New Civil Engineer]]'', 1983, 30 June.</ref>

In 2011, significant cracks were found in part of the tunnel lining.<ref name="BBC-2012-12">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-16022613|title=Netherton canal tunnel 'on the move'|date=2012-12-04|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=8 February 2013}}</ref> Traffic through the tunnel was limited, as a result.<ref name="BBC-2012-12" /> Repair work began early in 2013.<ref name="BBC-2013-02">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-21373005|title=Repairing the 'M6 of the waterways'|date=2013-02-08|work=[[BBC Online]]|access-date=8 February 2013}}</ref>

==Route==
The canal runs south-west from the [[BCN Main Line|BCN New Main Line]] at Dudley Port Junction and under the Old Main Line at Tividale Aqueduct. The northern mouth of the tunnel is near Dudley Road West, close to Tipton's border with [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]]. An air-vent stands in the middle of Aston Road; another stands between two houses in Regent Road, both in the [[Tividale|Tividale Hall]] estate near [[Dudley]]. The southern mouth of the tunnel is in [[Warren's Hall Country Park|Warrens Hall Park]] on the border of Dudley and [[Rowley Regis]] - the [[Bumble Hole Branch Canal|Bumble Hole]] and [[Cobb's Engine House]] are nearby. The Bumble Hole is a landscaped man made lake on the site of a former [[clay pit]]. The [[Dudley Canal|Dudley No. 2 Canal]] and the Boshboil Canal Arm are joined at Windmill End Junction. The Boshboil Arm was once part of a loop of the original Dudley Canal which went around Bumble Hole. This loop ceased to be part of the main line when a more direct line was cut. The loop became severed into two arms as a result of subsidence. The northern arm is the Boshboil Arm the southern is the [[Bumble Hole Branch Canal|Bumble Hole Branch]].

===Features===
{{routemap
|title       = Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal<br />(distances in miles)
|title-color = black
|title-bg    = #E7EEF8
|legend      = canal
|map         =
uFABZq+lr~~0~~BCN - Dudley Port Junction
umKRZu~~Groveland Bridge
uKRZu~~Tividale Aqueduct
utSTRa~~0.5~~Northern tunnel portal
utKMW~~Aston Road air vent
utKMW~~Regent Road air vent
utKMW~~Approx. tunnel mid-point
utSTRe~~Southern tunnel portal
uSTRpr~~Cobb's Engine Pumphouse
umKRZu~~Cobb's Engine Bridge
uFKRZ~~2.4~~Bushboil Branch, Dudley Canal - Windmill End Junction
}}

<!-- tunnel mid-point used for article location -->
{| class="wikitable"
!Point
![[Geographic coordinate system|Coordinates]]<br />(links to map & photo sources)
|-
|Dudley Port Junction
|{{Coord|52.52204|-2.04331|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Dudley Port Junction}}
|-
|Groveland Bridge (Tipton Road, A457)
|{{Coord|52.51758|-2.04760|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Groveland Bridge}}
|-
|Tividale Aqueduct (Old BCN Main Line)
|{{Coord|52.51640|-2.04843|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Tividale Aqueduct}}
|-
|Northern tunnel portal
|{{Coord|52.51534|-2.04948|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Northern tunnel portal}}
|-
|Air vent No. 16
|{{Coord|52.512436|-2.052015|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Netherton Tunnel Air Vent No. 16}}
|-
|Packwood Road Air vent (No. 14)
|{{Coord|52.50986|-2.054329|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Netherton Tunnel Air Vent No. 14}}
|-
|Aston Road air vent
|{{Coord|52.50850|-2.05518|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Aston Road air vent}}
|-
|Regent Road air vent
|{{Coord|52.50697|-2.05708|display=inline,title|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Regent Road air vent}} <!-- Approx. canal mid-point -->
|-
|Approx. tunnel midpoint
|{{Coord|52.50435|-2.05932|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Approx. tunnel mid-point}}
|-
|Air vent No. 8
|{{Coord|52.504191|-2.059364|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Air vent No. 8}}
|-
|Air vent No. 6
|{{Coord|52.501551|-2.061764|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Air vent No. 6}}
|-
|Air vent No. 4
|{{Coord|52.499036|-2.064032|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Air vent No. 4}}
|-
|Air vent No. 2
|{{Coord|52.496345|-2.066459|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Air vent No. 2}}
|-
|Southern tunnel portal
|{{Coord|52.49335|-2.06916|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Southern tunnel portal}}
|-
|Windmill End Junction
|{{Coord|52.49157|-2.07019|region:GB_type:landmark|name=Windmill End Junction}}
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Cobb's Engine House.jpg|Cobb's Engine House near the southern portal
File:Netherton Tunnel inside northern portal dual towpath.jpg|Netherton Tunnel inside northern portal showing the dual towpath
File:Bumble Hole - 2004-06-02 - Andy Mabbett - 10.jpg|Slippage in the roof of a southern end of the tunnel, caused by the [[2002 Dudley earthquake]]
File:Netherton Tunnel northern portal QF.jpg|Netherton Tunnel northern portal
File:Tividale Aqueduct with turbine QF.jpg|Tividale Aqueduct with old turbine which once generated electricity to illuminate the tunnel
File:Tividale Aqueduct and Netherton Tunnel.jpg|Tividale Aqueduct and Netherton Tunnel northern portal
File:Canal cottages at Tividate Aqueduct QF.jpg|Canal cottages on the branch at Tividale Aqueduct
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport}}
*[[List of canal tunnels in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last= Hadfield|first= Charles |title= The Canals of the West Midlands|edition= Second|year= 1969|publisher= David & Charles|isbn= 0-7153-4660-1}}
*{{cite book|author=Perrott, David|author2=Mosse, Jonathan|title=Nicholson Waterways Guide 2 - Severn, Avon & Birmingham|publisher=Collins|year=2006|isbn= 978-0-00-721110-4}}
*{{cite book |last= Palmer|first= Marilyn |author-link1=Marilyn Palmer |title= Industry in the Landscape|url= https://archive.org/details/industrylandscap00neav|url-access= limited|edition= First|year= 1994|publisher= Routledge|page=[https://archive.org/details/industrylandscap00neav/page/n201 189]|isbn= 0-415-11206-0}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Netherton Tunnel}}
*Shead, Jim [http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/canal.php?wpage=BCNT&name=Netherton%20Tunnel%20Branch%20Canal Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal]
*Shead, Jim [http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/History.php?wpage=BCNT Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal History]
{{GeoGroup}}

{{Birmingham Canal Navigations}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Canal tunnels in England]]
[[Category:Lists of coordinates]]
[[Category:Canals in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Birmingham Canal Navigations]]
[[Category:Tunnels completed in 1858]]
[[Category:Canals opened in 1858]]
[[Category:Tunnels in the West Midlands (county)]]
[[Category:Netherton]]