4....Foxyards Canal

a. The Early Years

If a question was raised " name a private canal in the West Midlands, which comprised about a mile of waterway, four locks, two tunnel sections, a steam pumping engine and has no mention in Charles Hadfield's West Midlands Canals", how many people would reply that it did not exist?

The canal in question did exist and was known as the Foxyards Canal, although little remains now. Being a private canal, information about this waterway is hard to come by and evidence of its existence is derived from a few contemporary maps and archive sources. Built through the lands of the Lord Dudley & Ward the purpose of this waterway was the carriage of coal, ironstone and limestone.

There are still many questions yet to be answered and the fragments of information discovered have led to some conflicting interpretations and even now might be subject to revision.

In essence the Foxyards Canal was an extensive waterway, which comprised three branches. The main route left the Old Birmingham Canal at Tipton near Bloomfield and rose through a single lock to the junction point of the three branches. The main branch, Foxyards Canal, turned westward and rose through another three locks to a level that passed into a tunnel into the side of Mons Hill where it extended through to limestone mines.

This tunnel appears to have been in two sections. A short tunnel lead to an open passing place beyond which was a longer tunnel leading deeper into the hillside.

A second branch turned northwards for some two hundred yards, whilst the third branch turned eastwards towards Roundshill following the Birmingham Canal but at a higher level. This third branch also appears to have brought coal and ironstone to the canal.

Birmingham Canal Company minutes indicate that the Foxyards Canal link was made during 1789 and the branches were added subsequently. A plan published in 1790 for the estate of James Keir, Soap Maker at the Tipton Soap Factory, Bloomfield also shows details of the junction of the Birmingham Canal with the Foxyards Canal. This junction was just north of the aqueduct where the BCN crossed the stream running into the upper mill pool for the old Bloomsmithy Mill and at the junction a lock house is clearly shown.

A plan accompanying the deeds for Tipton Furnaces (c1800), which were adjacent to the Foxyards, otherwise known as Coseley Moor, also shows the three-lock section of the Foxyards Canal complete with a lock engine adjacent to the pound above the top lock. At this time the upper pound had clearly not been extended as far as Mons Hill and comprised two short arms. Later, the upper arm was extended towards and joined with the tunnel.

The purpose of the lock engine would have been to re-circulate water back up the ocks, but with the extension to the tunnel section a fresh supply of water was made available. Men would have been employed as lock keepers and to work the pumping engine.

The making of the Bloomfield to Deepfield cut authorised by the 1794 BCN Act severed the Rounds Hill arm from the Foxyard Canal and a wooden trough was substituted to maintain a water supply. Whether boats passed along this trough or a separate link was made to the BCN from the amputated section to Rounds Hill is one of the questions remaining to be resolved. This trough was subject to subsidence and was broken on, at least, two occasions. Water for the Roundshill Canal was supplied on these occasions by a pumping engine belonging to Beebee & Co.

Working the Foxyards Canal was bedevilled with mining subsidence as was the whole area. As the land levels slipped down, the main BCN was built up to maintain the canal.

Between 1814 and 1815 the Foxyards Canal locks were rebuilt. Records surviving amongst the Earl of Dudley MSS at Coseley Records Office, show costing for material and payment to one Samuel Kimberley for rebuilding two locks on the canal at Coseley Moor.

The mines on the Foxyards were typical of the period that a collection of shafts sunk to different levels. Most prized was the ten yard or thick coal that was frequently worked first. These measures were relatively close to the surface, in fact about 45 yards deep, which enabled some parts to be later worked as opencast. Then came a layer of gubbin ironstone, which was used by local ironmasters.

The building of the Tipton Furnaces, about 1800, for the Parker family were able to exploit local ironstones for smelting in the furnaces. Further coals lay below the ironstone. There was a layer of heathen coal, white ironstone, New Mine Coal, Fireclay Coal and Bottom Coal all of varying quality and use for industry.

Whilst the orginal purpose of the canal was the transport of coal and ironstone from various pits around Rounds Hill and Foxyards, limestone traffic also became possible with the completion of the tunnel into the hillside at Mons Hill.

When this was done is not certain, even though some published sources support a date as early as 1776. Once the link was made limestone was conveyed along the waterway to various customers including local iron furnaces, where the stone was used as flux in the iron making process.

Further subsidence continued to affect canal operartions and by 1827 the canal was considered unused. An arrangement was made with the Lord Dudley for the BCN to purchase the bricks of the locks. The locks were replaced by tramways, but the tunnel section is believed to have remained in use to supply limestone from the workings under Mons Hill.

Note a map of the area showing the canal, is hoped will be included in a second article on this canal yet to be penned by Ray......