| Rivers, lakes & canals 21 Dec 2019 - Elliott Brown |
Inspiration |
Gas Street Basin between 2009 and 2019
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There is many ways to walk around Gas Street Basin. At least two entrances from Gas Street. Or from Bridge Street. Also from the Broad Street Tunnel or The Mailbox ends. The BCN was completed in 1773 to Old Wharf, while the W & B Canal completed by 1815. Worcester Bar was between them. Used to be a gate blocking passage between both canals (long since gone). Redeveloped from the 1990s.
Gas Street Basin between 2009 and 2019
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There is many ways to walk around Gas Street Basin. At least two entrances from Gas Street. Or from Bridge Street. Also from the Broad Street Tunnel or The Mailbox ends. The BCN was completed in 1773 to Old Wharf, while the W & B Canal completed by 1815. Worcester Bar was between them. Used to be a gate blocking passage between both canals (long since gone). Redeveloped from the 1990s.
Gas Street Basin
Located near Gas Street in what is now the Westside area of Birmingham City Centre. Gas Street Basin is where the Birmingham Canal Navigations Mainline meets the Worcester & Birmingham Canal at the Worcester Bar. The Birmingham Canal completed their canal to Old Wharf by 1773. The Worcester & Birmingham Canal reached as far as Selly Oak by 1795, not being completed as far as Worcester until 1815. The Worcester Bar was a physical barrier between the two canals, which were owned by two separate companies at the time. A gate blocked access from one canal to the other (this has long since been removed).
In the 1990s, Gas Street Basin was renovated. And is now used on both sides to moor narrowboats. You also see the likes of the Waterbus and the Sherborne Wharf narrowboat take tourists down the canal. You can visit Gas Street Basin in all seasons, in all weathers, come sunshine, rain or snow!
Things have changed quite a lot over the last decade. The once derelict James Brindley pub is now The Canal House. The view towards Arena Central is ever changing. The Hyatt Hotel has dominated the skyline there for the past 30 years. The Broad Street Tunnel has Walkabout and The O Bar above on Broad Street. Various bars and restaurants have popped up along Gas Street. The Tap & Spile has been there for a long time. Bistro Pierre opened up a few years ago in the former offices of the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
2009
I started taking photos of Birmingham during April 2009. So these are my earliest views of Gas Street Basin. Narrowboats on the BCN side, while you can see The Cube under construction to the far left.
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The Worcester Bar Footbridge. I think it was installed during the 1990s, as before then there wasn't a bridge at this point. Until the restoration works, the canal was quite derelict. This bridge allows access from the Gas Street side to the Bridge Street side of the basin at Old Wharf.
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This view in June 2009. You can walk walk all the way along the Worcester Bar through the open gate. The blocked off bridge at Bridge Street is the site of Old Wharf. The Birmingham Canal used to terminate just beyond there. The James Brindley pub was boarded up, I don't remember ever seeing it open. At the time the view was towards the Alpha Tower and Crowne Plaza hotel. The old concrete building wouldn't be demolished until the mid 2010's for the Arena Central redevelopment (which got delayed by the 2008 recession).
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The view from the Worcester Bar footbridge towards the Broad Street Tunnel. The O Bar on the left, Walkabout to the right. A red brick Grade II listed building designed by Martin & Chamberlain and built in 1875. The Tap & Spile pub also to the left. One of the Sherborne Wharf narrowboats seen heading through the Broad Street Tunnel towards Brindleyplace.
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2010
Snow and ice at Gas Street Basin during December 2010. The view towards Regency Wharf and the Hyatt Hotel.
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There wasn't too much ice in the canal at the time. The view towards the BT Tower, between the Hyatt Hotel and James Brindley pub (closed and derelict).
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This view of the entrance to the Broad Street Tunnel during June 2010. Whenever I walk through it, on either towpath, I have to duck down a bit. Halfway down the roof height changes. The headroom and width of the tunnel varies.
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2018
Seen during January 2018 was this Canal & River Trust service boat. It was raining a bit.
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The last time we had decent snow and a covering of ice on the canal was during the early part of March 2018. The canal water at Gas Street Basin was completey frozen over. Nothing getting in or out. This view towards Regency Wharf.
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Hard to believe that this was the beginning of Spring. It was during the Beast from the East and Storm Emma. Could make a nice Christmas postcard. At the time the World Indoor Athletics Championships was about to start at Arena Birmingham!
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Going back to January 2018, saw the red Waterbus heading through the Worcester Bar from the footbridge above, while it was raining. Heading in the direction of The Mailbox. Moored to the left was several Away 2 Dine narrowboats. Leaving the Birmingham Canal Navigations for the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.
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2019
Heading up to March 2019. The Broad Street Tunnel was open again after being closed for three months due to the Midland Metro Alliance reinforcing it for the future second phase of the Westside Metro extension. Meanwhile, I saw the Waterbus again heading in the direction of the tunnel, having just gone under the Worcester Bar bridge.
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In October 2019, traffic under the Broad Street Tunnel was back to normal. Saw this Sherborne Wharf narrowboat with tourists enjoying a ride towards Gas Street Basin and beyond. You can't really tell from down there that it was closed the previous winter for three months.
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Raining during December 2019. The view from the BCN side has been completely transformed by Arena Central. 1 Centenary Square and the Holiday Inn Expres are already open. While 3 Arena Central is still under construction.
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One of the Away 2 Dine narrowboats is seen heading back into it's spot on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal side of the basin, below the Hyatt Regency Birmingham. There wasn't many people about on the Canalside Walk in the wet weather.
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Still reversing in, near Regency Wharf.
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Photos taken by Elliott Brown.
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