Laurence Ince
18 Sept 2017
Olton Reservoir was built in 1799, using prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars, to store water for the Birmingham-Warwick Canal. It was fed by at least four streams and had earth banks until 1933 when, with the continuing spread of houses around it, these were replaced by concrete to improve safety. The controlled exit into the canal ran beneath the Warwick Road past the former blacksmith’s premises. A shop was built in 1877 which became the Congregational Church years later. In 1934 it became the premises of an organ builder and in 1991 a wedding dress showroom. The nearby wooden railway bridge was replaced with steel in the 1930s and the reservoir was made slightly smaller.
In the 1890s John Florance of 29 St Bernard’s Road, James Heaton (No 26) and three other neighbours petitioned the Canal Company to form a sailing club and to allow fishing, bathing and shooting. These residents were given direct access from their gardens to the footpath. A Clubhouse and the Reservoir Lodge for a Warden were built. In 1900 Mr Mintram, a gardener, was appointed and his wife dispensed tea for 1d to visitors. During WWII a boom was placed across the reservoir to repulse possible invaders. Nowadays a pass, with a key to unlock barriers, to walk around the reservoir (now called a mere and owned by the sailing club) costs £60 a year. There are 40 pegs for fishing; an attempt to introduce trout failed due to the depredations of herons, but carp were successful. Nude bathing took place for a brief period in the 1960s, and the drought of 1976 caused almost complete evaporation of the water.
South along the canal there were several wharves. The first was Olton, near where there is now a facility attempting to control knotweed (which grows 20cms a day), and one of many gas points which mark the passage of natural gas under the towpath. The second was Henwood where debris from the canal is landed. The Henwood Lane Bridge (No25) has grooves on the brickwork of its south side made by towing ropes on the inside of a bend. The third was Copt Heath where fuel can now be obtained, Wharf cottage used to be used for stabling horses, and opposite is Waterside Cottage from where a boat hire business is operated.
Kixley Wharf was named after a mediaeval rector of Knowle College. Knowle Wharf opened in 1800 was used for coal and has a rare surviving weighbridge (made by Pooley & Sons); it now has a thriving boat building/repair business, as well as a convenient free carpark. Knowle locks drop a total of 42ft. There used to be six, but there are now five, each with wide ponds. The two pump engine houses used to have tall chimneys but the latter had disappeared before 1930, and electricity now pumps water back up to the top of the locks. The lock machinery is marked Samuel Baker of Westminster – he was the consulting engineer, rather than the manufacturer. The present lock-keepers cottage was built, with electricity, in the 1930s to replace the original.
South of Knowle Locks was Heronfield Wharf and beyond that is a canal-side pub, the Black Boy. This was named after Charles II who was swarthy. Later it was renamed the Herons Nest and is now the Kings Arms.
The other canal in Solihull is the Stratford Canal built in stages starting in 1793 and completed in 1816. Water was supplied from three adjoining reservoirs at Earlswood, covering 85 acres, opened in 1823. As they were below the level of the canal, an Engine House was built containing a beam engine, based on the original design by Boulton & Watt. This was replaced by a hydraulic system in the 1950s. The feeder enters the canal at Lady Lane Wharf. Near Hockley Heath was a drawbridge (not a swing bridge) which is now electrically powered. At Kingswood the connection to the Birmingham-Warwick Canal was completed in 1802. The former company insisted on a lock in the connection which funnelled water into the larger canal. The continuation of the canal from Kingswood to Stratford was not started until 1812. The lock-keepers’ cottages had barrel roofs using the same curve as the tunnels (many are still visible), and the smaller iron bridges have a hole through the middle to allow the horse’s rope to pass through when canal and towpath parted – and were also cheaper. The canal’s restoration was begun immediately after WWII and was the first of a series in modernising the waterways. It was eventually completed in 1964 when the Queen Mother formally opened the link to the River Avon.