Another sunshine filled walk along a canal in central England
The 16 Locks of Stourbridge, Saturday 13th August 2022 (Author’s Collection).
Quixotically, you don’t actually walk directly toward Stourbridge if you want to see the entirety of the Locks that dominate the canal of this Worcestershire market town, but rather, and as you’ll see, toward England’s “Second City” of Birmingham. Again as you’ll see shortly, you could also walk toward the beautiful Locks of Stourton or you could refer to the multitude of articles contained within my travel archives here that cover both of these very, very different stretches of the English canal waterways. So today the triangle is complete with the famed 16 Locks of Stourbridge that wind their way through the Industrial Revolution of Victorian England and remain a tad unloved and unkempt many un-named revolutions later.
*All images captured by me on Saturday morning, 13th August 2022*
Welcome to the 16 Locks of Stourbridge and Lock Number 16 or “Stourbridge Bottom Lock” as viewed from the nearby “Wordsley Junction Bridge” and the splitting of the canal between the traditional Stourbridge Canal (forward) to Birmingham or (backward) to Stourport. Turning right takes you onto the “Stourbridge Town Arm” of the canal that ends with a stop lock and the end of the canal.
Left and the Locks of Stourton at “Stewponey Locks”. Right and a 3 mile amble into the city centre of Birmingham and both are covered extensively in previous editions of my travels this Summer which can be found within my archives.
On a morning of very little activity, I was lucky to capture this “Perfect Timing” moment at Lock Number 16.
“Stolen Time” as we head toward Lock Number 15.
View from the middle of Lock 15 and back from whence we came.
Lock 13 with the ominous reminder of the industrial past and the Stourbridge Glass Museum to your right.
Reflections from the back of the Stourbridge Glass Museum as we approach the appropriately named “Glasshouse Bridge”.
Left or Right? Graffiti or Jesus? The choice, as always, is yours.
View from atop Glasshouse Bridge with yet more reflections and the first glimpse of the famed “Cone” of Red House Glass.
“Red House Glass Cone”, a popular tourist destination beside the Stourbridge Canal.
A beautiful view from Lock Number 11 through to Number 10 at Wordsley.
(1) One of four reverse views back from Lock Number 10 at Wordsley with the Red House Cone still clearly visible.
(2) One of four reverse views back from Lock Number 10 at Wordsley with the Red House Cone still clearly visible.
(3) One of four reverse views back from Lock Number 10 at Wordsley with the Red House Cone still clearly visible.
(4) One of four reverse views back from Lock Number 10 at Wordsley with the Red House Cone still clearly visible.
Lock Number 8.
A beautiful reverse view from Lock Number 8 back through numbers 9 and 10.
Lock Number 7 through to Number 6 as well as one of the many fishermen who lined the canal this morning sheltering beneath an umbrella.
A reverse view of Lock Number 2 as we approach the “Top Lock” of Stourbridge.
Destination reached.
Two final reminders of the “16 Locks of Stourbridge” as we amble our return back — Part 1.
Two final reminders of the “16 Locks of Stourbridge” as we amble our return back — Part 2.
Your humble narrator at Grindley Brook Locks on the Llangollen Canal, early July 2022 (Author’s Collection).
Thanks for reading. My “Summer Project” has taken me to the waterways and many historical castle ruins as I’ve crisscrossed the border between England and Wales and my three most recently published travel articles are linked below:
