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As referred to by Ray the BCNS played its part in the saving of the Titford Canal. The society was formed in 1968 by members of other canal bodies who had become concerned that the BCN was going to be lost due to the lack of local focused action. So they formed a new society the BCNS having the inaugural meeting at the New Inns Public House, Walsall on Thursday 25th July 1968.
The new society focused just on the BCN and fought many small battles with officialdom that was not so enlightened as today, some were lost but many were won. Very quickly a large battle had to be fought that would test the resolve of the society.
Titford Canal was in great danger of being lost, its locks were almost at the point that they could not be used. Pounds were silted up and the official view was that the canal should be closed and a culvert made to drain the area.
The society with other groups started the project with very little funding and finally saved the canal, a great achievement that is now being to again bear fruit 30 years later.
A flavour of the efforts made by a small group of people was recorded in an article that appeared in Boundary Post in 1993 when the society was celebrating its 25th anniversary.
That was the cry in 1972, and thanks to generous financial and promotional assistance from the then County Borough of Warley, that aim was achieved.
Almost as its last act before it joined with West Bromwich to form the new Borough of Sandwell, Warley donated many hours and much money to the dredging and improvement of both the Dudley No. 2 and Titford Canals.
Titford Canal at this time was in a very poor condition. Navigation was discouraged by many lengthy stoppages during which the Oldbury flight of six locks (The Crow) was completely drained and the top gate and paddle gear were padlocked. One 'stoppage' lasted for two years while the M5 motorway was built across Titford Pools. The locks gates became porous, no oil ever got near the paddle gear, and the silt in the side pounds, which had built up for forty years, became a mass of vegetation with no water cover to discourage growth. The towpath was a wilderness and it was a brave person who attempted Titford by boat, or on foot. Warley's efforts changed all this, but their interest only extended from the top gate of the Crow to Titford Pools.
The BCN Society and its Work Party Group Leader, Graham Turner, rose to this challenge magnificently, and for two years every Sunday, work parties took place on the Crow.
The easiest method of removing the silt from the side pounds was by mechanical plant, but because of access problems, this was only possible on pounds 1, 5, and 6. On pound 1, the silt was dug out by hand and thrown within reach of a dragline provided by Warley, which worked during weekdays, clearing the piles of rubbish within reach. The same operation was carried out on pounds 5 and 6, but with Midland Earth Moving Ltd. working as a direct contractor to the BCN Society, whose members responded to appeals for a Titford Fighting Fund.
Pounds 2, 3 and 4 were heartbreakers. With no access for plant, every single shovelful had to be carried to a barrow, then using a wooden plank, barrow run across the lock chamber, deposited on the towpath for later distribution and levelling. Some boats were used to carry away the spoil, but at all times, the work was arduous and soul destroying, as the amount left to be removed never seemed to reduce. Such work was incredibly dirty and at lunchtime the work party was not always welcome in local pubs as they attempted to slake their thirsts, surrounded by a miasma of 40 year old decay! The lock chambers were also deeply silted and contained a fine selection of domestic appliances, motor vehicles and their parts and many more disgusting items.
But it was all finally cleared away, and a huge amount of landscaping, tidying and beautifying was tackled, shale was laid on towpaths, the wilderness of weeds from around the locks removed, grass seed planted, lock gates painted and paddle gear oiled.
By March 30th 1974, the impossible had happened - Titford was restored. And on Saturday and Sunday March 30th and 31st, the BCNS and citizens of Warley celebrated in style with a Boat Rally at Langley Park. A fine gathering it was too. Over 100 boats attended the rally, public boat trips ran from the top of The Crow to Titford Pools, we had skydivers from Bulmars, folk singing in the marquee and the Langley Silver Band to serenade us.
The programme for the event told the whole story and included the most detailed historical account of the canal, written by Dr Ian Langford of Birmingham University, and a article written by the man who was perhaps the most important in the whole saga, Ron Joynor, the General Manager of the Parks and Cemeteries Department for Warley ( Ron was later accorded life membership of the BCNS).
To those of us who took part in all of this, twenty years ago now, the very mention of the Titford Canal fills us with pride.
Following the recent disaster with the Ridgeacre, surely any BCNS member will fight tooth and nail to save the rest of this unique canal system, so that in another 25 years when the BCNS proudly celebrates 50 years of existence, our members will still be able to enjoy this priceless heritage from Britain's industrail past.
by Mike Miles.
So that's the story so far with the Titford Canal once again springing into life with the BCNS again playing its full part by making the pump house its home.