Oldbury Loop Canal Photostream

A sequence of archive photographs and maps which follow the course of the lost Oldbury Loop Canal as it made its two mile circuit of the town.

[@jetmanuk3556]

Many thanks again for another fascinating video Andy!

[@robinnicholson4009]

And another gem. I do remember back in the early 1970s seeing a yellow coloured craft coming from the Chemical Arm, going down Brades and pumping chemical effluent down through a little hut on the Main line, into the ground. IIRC I saw a horse drawn boat at Brades Top and have a photo of me alongside, in my bowler hat ( the idea drawn from Voyage in a Bowler Hat, written by a cousin Hugh Malet).

[@robinnicholson4009]

Would this craft be from Alfred Matty?

[@Domdeone1]

Fantastic, cheers

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Thanks

[@timothyburling5795]

Awesome video Andy, thank you. Sought this out after trying to locate various parts of the lost loop on a walk around Oldbury today.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

The track is quite satisfying to follow - apart for the section in front of the council offices.

[@dudleyblokerave]

Superb as usual Andy. Another area that is close to my heart. Modernisation has changed Oldbury so much that it's virtually unrecognisable from those old pictures. Thank you.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Its a different era - its been a lot of fun (challenge) pulling these together and trying to make something cohesive out of them.

[@dudleyblokerave]

@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 I hope you have enough material to do a slideshow of the Wednesbury Oak Loop too as I used to walk to school on part of the old canal line.

[@grahamhall8249]

Hi Andy, great video again. The way you marked out on the photos where the canal ran is a brilliant idea. See you on the next vid!

[@crasher303]

Thanks, really enjoyed this collection photos. You can understand why nobody wanted to photograph Oldbury , not a green pleasant land, old green was the old pound notes it was making for the factory owners.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

What with the clay pits, brick works, iron works and of course the chemical industry, whats not to like? The river Tame rises here and the pollution was so bad that the river was called the rainbow river.

[@ScholarGypsyOx]

Thanks again - very interesting. Glad to see you are now able to get out of the shed!

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Only just outside in this case!

[@buttmusk]

Good stuff , Andy :)

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Thanks

[@harrysaunders6180]

And there's me thinking that drone photography was a recent technology! Once again, thank you.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

Its as close as we can get to drone images - mostly taken by blokes hanging out of biplanes I think!

[@harrysaunders6180]

@@lifeat2.3milesanhour57 Or maybe they used coal fired steam drones with an underslung large format plate camera (free flight - of course!)

[@davidharris7592]

Thanks Andy, another great video, I worked at Allen's yard 1976-80 & the loop could be followed easily then. Just a knit pick, that was Clayton's yard not Valencia wharf .

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

I late found another of the area which referred to it at Claytons - so which one was Valencia?

[@davidharris7592]

Valencia wharf was Allen's yard, which I think was Elements boatyard before they took it over in the 1950's

[@davidharris7592]

The picture is of Clayton's yard at the junction of the Titford canal. Valencia wharf which was Allen's yard was the arm opposite the loop .

[@angelsone-five7912]

You wouldn`t recognise any of that today, totally different.

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

You have to know what you are looking at to spot anythng canal related on the Oldbury Loop today

[@luked1675]

They're stealing the tow path in the port loop regeneration..

[@lifeat2.3milesanhour57]

There never was much of a towpath on that loop. I think they mostly poled the boats along.