Fradley Village

Today's Canal : Coventry (and Birmingham and Fazeley to be pedantic)

Very mixed weather today - a stiff breeze kept the temperature down for most of the day but the cloud came and went.

When we cast off this morning, the sky was very grey.

But only 20 minutes later we had this lovely view across the fields in bright sunshine.

Tamworth is gradually creeping to the west side - perhaps the canal will halt its progress (?) for a while. This small estate is the latest addition, nearly complete together with built in solar panels.

It looks as if the local farmer did not want to move, whilst all around was being developed. Only partially visible beyond the canal hedge, much of the farm seems all but derelict but is defiant with  several new estates all around, save for the small bit next to the canal

Lichfield TV Transmitter is a landmark for a great distance. Despite its 305 m height, it still tends to disappear in our photos! The station began transmission towards the end of 1955 to support the opening of the first commercial station, ITV. (Now better called ITV1 it did not need the number back then) The first tower, around a third of the height, was replaced by the current mast, and the old one was shipped to the Channel Islands. Recycling was in place in 1962!

Hopwas School Bridge is well named as the village school is adjoining, just off to the left of the picture. As all the children were out in the playground we thought it best to keep them, out of shot.

The next stretch borders dense woodlands with signs saying that it is a military firing range. KEEP OUT! Whittington Barracks is a mile to the north. On the opposite side of the canal the land falls steeply down to the River Tame, quite close at this point. The towpath has at some stage been substantially strengthened, hence the unusual concrete capping to the piling.

A boundary stone can be seen at Whittington. Strangely it has Coventry Canal inscribed to the right with an arrow to the left, whilst the left has Birmingham and Fazeley with the arrow to the right! As hinted by the title of this blog, the B&F company bailed out the Coventry when it fell into financial problems with the northern part still incomplete. However, they only gained ownership of half of the part between Fazeley and Fradley Junctions. Today, the whole norther section is known to most poeple as the Coventry (with, it seems, the exception of Google Maps that still uses the older nomenclature!)

Huddlesford Junction was the northern end of the Lichfield Canal, sadly mostly now closed although some good restoration is underway. The last short part is currently the base for the Lichfield Canal Club moorings.

The overseer or toll keeper here most have been a good posting, given the size of the house beside the junction.

Shortly after the junction, the canal and the busy dual A38 run alongside each other for half a mile. At the start is the well known Streethay Wharf. Despite its looks it only became a narrowboat yards about 20 years ago. before that it was a coal depot and before that involved in drying hops for the brewing industry.

The canal then loops away from the road until coming around to pass underneath before heading northwards through more rural territory and Fradley Junction. The former RAF Lichfield airfield lay to the west of the canal between the A38 and the Trent and Mersey Canal to the north. Built at the outset of the Second World War, it mainly provided a maintenance role but some operational flights did leave from here. It closed in 1958 and the site sold off in 1962. Initially, development focussed on industrial activities (many re-using the large hangers) but more recently a large number of new homes have been built.

We moored at Fradley Bridge 90, a useful ARMCO mooring, reasonably insulated from the A38 traffic noise. We stayed here overnight last September when, again, there was just one space available!

9.2 Miles - 0 Locks