3.12 Hatherton Canal restoration plan

Andy Tidy explores the proposed route of the restored Hatherton Branch Canal from Calf Heath, through Churchbridge to its planned end near Bloxwich.

[@buttmusk]

I got sucked into L&H restoration videos and found myself back here again :)

[@davidbagley1783]

Welcome back

[@LHCRT]

We hope you enjoyed them. 😊

[@christopherthompson2078]

This is screaming to be full restored .Excellent video x

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

The original Hatherton Branch would be fairly easy, but the connecting 3 miles to the Wyrley and Essington are hard!

[@cherylburton3430]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make these vlogs, we have found them so interesting especially as they are about our local area.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

I am glad you have enjoyed them.

[@harrysaunders6180]

Wonderful! My late father was a great canal enthusiast and would have loved this series, and the plethora of canal topics on KZbin.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Mine too.

[@traceystickland-mottram8021]

Another great vlog. Loved the series. Wonderful you are promoting the Hatherton end as I think it's easy to forget this as the work progresses on the Lichfield line and to remind people that volunteers are still keeping the towpath clear to walk.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Its a lovely walk - and not used enough.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Having moored our boat at Calf Heath for a decade I am very fond of the Churchbridge Branch (Hatherton) and the Roman Way hotel and with a pub / hotel at each end it makes a great historical walk.

[@rogerclarke3291]

I live in cannock and part of the old route runs across a field i currently own. Amazing video. Very well made. I dream of seeing this route reopened some day. Thank you for posting.

[@LHCRT]

Do get in touch with us, we'd love to talk!

[@choncord]

@@LHCRT Any news? Did you talk??

[@LHCRT]

Not that I know of. 🙁

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

@@LHCRT We talk all the time! I am a lifetime member and a huge supporter ask Bob W, Christine H etc!

[@LHCRT]

@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 I think he meant talk to Roger. 🙂

[@djmossssomjd8496]

Watched it again and enjoyed it again. Sorry one can only give a thumbs up once Andy :-(

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

I have a soft spot for the Hatherton - althoughI doubt I will ever see it restored.

[@worngimimajosplaynholmes6907]

Amazing stuff, truly. Cheers from the U.S.

[@StaffordshireFolklore]

Fantastic video, I'm very glad to hear such provision was made for the restoration with the construction around the motorway.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

This restoration is all about playing the long game.

[@djmossssomjd8496]

ANOTHER excellent video...Thanks for the effort.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Thanks - when the weather lifts a bit I will finally get to Ogley Locks!

[@320ifq]

Andy you are a real stalwart ...... Less than 1000 subscribers but you still keep at it. Me too. I will be heading back to the uk with my main objective being working as a brickie on the canal restoration project on the canals somewhere in the uk. Birmingham looks like a great place to head to and make a difference that might last apple of hundred years

[@LHCRT]

Come and help us. 👍

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

I have to admit that this is more about getting history down than subscriber numbers - lets call it a labour of love!

[@davidbagley1783]

Aloha.. good job

[@bobp3390]

Andy ,thanks for posting this ..At 1 :40 there used to be a boatyard , Ernie Thomas . My very first canal boat was from here in 70 or 71 . They were near all old wooden boats as i recall ...Anyone else rember the Ernie Thomas boats ? They all had avian names --Lark,Eagle ,Moorhen ..

[@davidbagley1783]

So exciting... the world is watching

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Dont hold your breath - this one is a long way off. The Lichfield Canal will come on line first.

[@LHCRT]

Wonderful, thank you!

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Its a pleasure - I really, really appreciate the wortk the L&H is doing.

[@simonabbott7323]

The vehicle is a Mercedes Sprinter 2.1D van. Registered 1 July 2014. It has changed ownership since the accident.

[@peterjones3557]

Great to see, and thanks for the maps and captions.

[@WebbysWalks]

Great video, I remember walking the remains from the M6 to the A460 about 7 or 8 years back and coming out by the hotel on the A5. Did not know which way if any it would have once continued. Thank you, it reminds me I need to pop back and walk it again.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Its a lovely walk. In fact, I now have many more archive photos of the canal and its my intention to make a video based on a drone flight along the line interspersed with the old images. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Nackuk]

Loved it

[@johnathanrowley2707]

Walked along the tow path before that bridge was damaged up to the a5.

[@philnbspook6446]

Oh to win the lottery, 140 million or whatever. I could spend it here to very good cause. However i reckon nearer Brownhills than Bloxwich.

[@loviedebiasio8864]

maybe car vertical check can show when the accident occurred and a have pictures of the damage on the car

[@davidbagley1783]

Aloha

[@leonardwhitlowii2411]

Alright, I’ve made a small donation to a project I’ll never see. Oregon USA. I want to know if many narrow boat owners make many donations beyond required fees?

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Thats very kind of you Leonard. Whilst the work of the restoration trust is endorsed by Canal and River Trust, the funding is entirely from the endeavours of the restoration team be it membership subscriptions, fundraising activities, spacial appeals, boat festivals, application for grants or corporate donations. Of course, a lot of he progress is made by volunteer labour for their small army of supporters and during the summer months there are few days when a team isn't out working on some part of the 6 mile route. I have never worked out exactly how many boaters are involved - I guess that originally most were, but the appeal of the restoration goes much deeper into the community.

[@LHCRT]

Thank you Leonard! We do have a lot of boat owners as members of the Trust and many of our volunteers are boat owners too. But as Andy says - the appeal does go deeper across the whole community.

[@choncord]

I've seen many kind Americans donate to this worthy cause and it's wonderful to see.

[@James-jx2et]

Andy you better be working on something big because I have been missing your videos !!!

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Its more a care of rain stopping play for a few weeks. I have made a start on the Ogley section which will be out soon.

[@johnsamson-snell9558]

I concur. Really interesting and informative. I never miss an episode. You refer to the canal maps app - I couldn’t find it on the App Store so I guess I’m looking under the wrong title. Can you please confirm the app name? Thank you so much 😊

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

It can be found by searching "Waterways Routes"

[@johnsamson-snell9558]

Thank you. Got it now. 👍

[@johnsamson-snell9558]

On the Apple Store I found it at: OpenCanalMaps

[@TairnKA]

How many canal restorations are being worked? How many canal restorations are scheduled to be started? How many canals will not be restored?

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Thats a very tough question to answer! There are over 1000 miles of lost canals but many miles are disconnected or hopeless cases. I have never calculated the number of active restoration groups but there must be between 30 and 50 - Bog ones like the Cotswold Canal or the Lichfield Canal through to the small ones like the Stover Navigation or, more locally, the Sow River Link, the Lapal Canal and the Bradley Locks Group. Maybe 50 understates it - could well be more like 100!

[@TairnKA]

I'm surprised it's over 20, but over 100 will give the narrowboat community more places to enjoy. Thanks for the info.

[@marieascot]

3:38 They did widen the M6 did we get out culvert?

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

There was a hope that they would widen it but in the end it became a smart motorway and they used the hard shoulder.

[@marieascot]

@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 Thanks for the reply. It is a pity they didn't do then during the disruption.

[@Millerman77]

Everything OK, we've not heard from you in a while?

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

All i well - its just the weather getting in the way of filming the last 3 or 4 episodes. Thanks for asking.

[@judithparker4608]

Hatherton Place...birthplace of Jerome K Jerome !

[@scopex2749]

very informative. I have been a waterways fans since i was a child and it makes me FUMING when they allow people to build over old canal routes or disused branch lines and they are ALL making a comback. I do di wish we would STOP building more and more roads and instead REDUCE the number of cars allowed on the roads! Canal and rail are far more eco friendly. Just wondering about the depth of the Seddon Brook for navigation as I see 'rapids' there in places meaning SHALLOW! So wount they need to install a control weir or lock to raise the depth to 1 metre or so?

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Basically yes. The old lock chambers will raise the rater level and I guess any locks on the river sections will have associated weirs to control the water flows.

[@mickbottomley6815]

it looks a bit of a mess seems it's not not been there long

[@jonstorey6414]

Hi. Most of the time when they replace old bridges, Or a bridge built where they weren't one. They put in a concrete monstrosity. They look uglier the older they get. Can't they put a brick skin over them? To make them look old in the places that are needed to look old

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

The bridges on the restored canals do just that. However, many of the dropped / replacement bridges were done in classic 1970's brutalist style because they wee in a huge hurry to get our bridge stock into a place where modern lorries could use them.