Hatherton Canal

Hatherton Canal
Accommodation bridge accessed from the Roman Way Hotel, at eastern limit of public access
Specifications
Locks	21
Status	part extant
History
Date of first use	1841
Date completed	1863
Date closed	1949
Geography
Start point	Calf Heath
End point	Churchbridge
Connects to	Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, Cannock Extension Canal

v t e Hatherton Canal (with proposed new link)
Legend
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Autherley Jn, Hatherton Jn, Haywood Jn Hatherton Basin - moorings Junction Bridge, Kings Road 1 Calf Heath Bottom Lock Moorings 2 Calf Heath Top Lock, now dry dock Dog Bridge 1 (culvert) M6 motorway (no tunnel) Oak Lane, Scrawpers End Bridge 2 (lowered) Feeder to Gailey Reservoir Saredon Mill Bridge 3 Cross Bridge 4 (lowered) Catch (Cats) Bridge 5 (culvert) Feeder from Saredon Brook 3 Meadow Lock Bridge 7 Limit of walkable towpath A4601 road, Wedge Mill Bridge 4 Wedge Mill Lock 5 Joveys Lock Start of bypass 6 Brick Kiln Lock 7 Rosemary Lock 8 Walkmill Lock Hawkins Colliery and Great Wyrley Basins Culvert 144 under M6 Toll Hatherton (Walkmill) Reservoir 6 Reservoir Lock Chase Line railway bridge Railway Basin Proposed link to Lord Hayes Branch Churchbridge Jn (S&W above, BCN below) 7 New Lock + Churchbridge Branch David Suchet Tunnel under A5 roundabout 8 Streetway Lock A5 bridge 9 Watling Street Lock Hednesford Basin, Cannock Extn Canal Churchbridge locks (13) Rumer Hill Junction 10 Holford Lock 11 Gains Lock Grove Basin + 2004 proposed new route 12 Dark Lane Lock (2009 proposed new route) 13 Pylon Lock 14 Cadman's Lock Pellsall Junction, Wyrley and Essington Canal 15 Wash Brook Lock 16 Golfers Lock 17 Coliery Lock Lord Hayes Branch Fishley Bridge Birchills Jn. Catshill Jn

The Hatherton Canal is a derelict branch of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal in south Staffordshire, England. It was constructed in two phases, the first section opening in 1841 and connecting the main line to Churchbridge, from where a tramway connected to the Great Wyrley coal mines. The second section was a joint venture with the Birmingham Canal Navigations, and linked Churchbridge to the Cannock Extension Canal by a flight of 13 locks, which were opened with the Extension Canal in 1863. The coal traffic was very profitable, and the canal remained in use until 1949. It was formally abandoned in 1955, after which the Churchbridge flight and much of the Extension Canal were destroyed by open cast mining.

Plans for its restoration began in 1975 and the forerunner to the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust was formed in 1989. Since then they have worked hard to protect and restore the canal, which was threatened by the route of the M6 Toll motorway. Negotiations eventually led to the provision of two culverts, one paid for by the Trust and the other by the road builders, which will be used in due course for the route of the re-aligned canal. In 2006, the engineers Arup produced a feasibility study for a replacement route for the destroyed section which would link to Grove Basin on the Cannock Extension Canal. Environmental concerns led to a second feasibility study being produced by Atkins in 2009, for a route which connected to the derelict Lord Hayes Branch on the Wyrley and Essington Canal. A short section near the junction with the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal is navigable, and the cost of restoring the rest and building the new route to the Wyrley and Essington was estimated at £44.1 million in 2009.