WORKS to restore parts of the UK’s longest flight of locks in Tardebigge are set to go underway after investigations revealed the 200-year-old lock wall is in need of urgent repair.
The Canal and River Trust is undertaking the urgent works at Tardebigge Top Lock on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal. The flight of locks are expected to be closed until August to complete the works.
Tardebigge is the longest lock flight in Britain, with 30 locks carrying narrowboats 220 feet uphill and downhill over two-and-a-quarter miles. The lock is a heritage listed asset and the work will be done with the utmost care.
Opened in 1815, the canal was dug out by hand for the transportation of porcelain pots and Cadbury’s chocolate, and is now popular with leisure boats, cutting into the heart of Birmingham at Gas Street Basin.
The repair works aim to dismantle the minimum number of historic bricks as possible. Once the necessary listed building consent is in place, it will be expertly rebuilt reusing as many bricks as possible.
Henriette Breukelaar, West Midlands’ regional director at Canal & River Trust, said: “I appreciate many people will be very disappointed we have had to close the site during the summer months.
“Please be assured completing the works and reopening the canal and the towpath as soon as possible is our absolute priority.
“Our charity will undertake the necessary works to a very high standard and in line with the heritage considerations of this Grade II-listed site.
“All this comes at a cost, and we welcome people’s support, through donating, volunteering, or spreading the word about our charity, to help us keep canals alive for years to come.”
Engineers from the charity had hoped to carry out the heritage repairs alongside other planned maintenance work on the lock flight this winter.
Unfortunately, thorough investigations show that the work can’t wait, and an extensive and costly repair is required immediately.
The problem was initially highlighted by boaters who were having trouble navigating the lock. This type of feedback plays a valuable part in supporting the Trust’s rolling inspection programme.
The Trust is working closely with the Bromsgrove and Redditch Council conservation team to agree the scope of the restoration work. The Trust expects to invest between £500,000 and £2 million in these necessary works.
The navigation will remain closed until the repair work is completed. The towpath, which has been closed, is now reopen with a new temporary pedestrian route built on the offside of the lock and two pontoons placed on the canal, to allow the public to cross the water safely.
Visit canalrivertrust.org.uk to support the trust through volunteering.
