Stourport Ring Explained

Stourport Ring
Length Mi:	74
Locks:	105
Status:	Canal ring
Navigation Authority:	Canal & River Trust

The Stourport Ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit, or canal ring, around Worcestershire, The Black Country and Birmingham in The Midlands, England. The ring is formed from the River Severn, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Stourbridge Canal, the Dudley Canals, the Birmingham Canal Navigations (Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal and Birmingham New Main Line) and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

The ring is 74 miles and includes 105 locks including 3 electrically operated river locks, 2 pairs of staircase locks and 2 broad locks. The route includes flights of locks at Tardebigge (x30), Stourbridge (x16) and the Black Delph at Brierley Hill (x8). The route also includes two of the longest navigable tunnels on the UK network, these being the Netherton and Wast Hills Tunnels.

The ring has an alternative longer route via Wolverhampton of 83 miles and 122 locks and does not include the Stourbridge or Dudley canals. This route uses the connection between the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, and the BCN Main Line at Aldersley Junction.

The ring is popular for cruising and has a number of narrowboat hire centres on the route including Alvechurch, Viking Afloat (Worcester), Anglo-Welsh (Tardebigge), Brook Line (Dunhampstead) and Black Prince (Stoke Prior).

Popular visitor attractions on or close to the Stourport Ring include Cadbury World, The Black Country Living Museum, the Severn Valley Railway, Kinver Edge, the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, Brindleyplace plus the Merry Hill, Bullring and Mailbox shopping centres.

Popular overnight mooring places on the ring include Worcester city centre, Stourport Basin, Wolverley, Kinver, Merry Hill, Windmill End, The Black Country Museum (via short detour), Gas Street Basin, Hopwood, Stoke Works and Dunhampstead.

List of all locks on the ring with their map references

Based on travelling clockwise and starting at Worcester. Excludes the northern extension.

Lock Number	Waterway	Lock Name	Coordinates	OS Grid Ref
1	River Severn	Bevere Lock
2		Holt Lock
3		Lincomb Lock
4/5	Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal	Stourport basin lower staircase
6/7		Stourport basin upper staircase
8		Stourport York Street Lock 3
9		Falling Sands Lock 4
10		Caldwell Lock 5
11		Kidderminster Lock 6
12		Wolverley Court Lock 7
13		Wolverley Lock 8
14		Debdale Lock 9
15		Whittington Lock 10
16		Kinver Lock 11
17		Hyde Lock 12
18		Stewponey Lock 13
19	Stourbridge Canal	Stourton Bottom Lock
20		Stourton Lock
21		Stourton Lock
22		Stourton Top Lock
23		Stourbridge Bottom Lock 16
24		Stourbridge Lock 15
25		Stourbridge Lock 14
26		Stourbridge Lock 13
27		Stourbridge Lock 12
28		Stourbridge Lock 11
29		Stourbridge Lock 10
30		Stourbridge Lock 9
31		Stourbridge Lock 8
32		Stourbridge Lock 7
33		Stourbridge Lock 6
34		Stourbridge Lock 5
35		Stourbridge Lock 4
36		Stourbridge Lock 3
37		Stourbridge Lock 2
38		Stourbridge Top Lock 1
39	Dudley Canal Line No. 1	Delph Bottom Lock 8
40		Delph Lock 7
41		Delph Lock 6
42		Delph Lock 5
43		Delph Lock 4
44		Delph Lock 3
45		Delph Lock 2
46		Delph Top Lock 1
47		Blowers Green Lock*
	Dudley Canal Line No. 2	(no locks)
	Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal	(no locks)
	Birmingham New Main Line	(no locks)
48	Worcester and Birmingham Canal	Tardebigge Top Lock No 58*
49		Tardebigge Lock No 57
50		Tardebigge Lock No 56
51		Tardebigge Lock No 55
52		Tardebigge Lock No 54
53		Tardebigge Lock No 53
54		Tardebigge Lock No 52
55		Tardebigge Lock No 51
56		Tardebigge Lock No 50
57		Tardebigge Lock No 49
58		Tardebigge Lock No 48
59		Tardebigge Lock No 47
60		Tardebigge Lock No 46
61		Tardebigge Lock No 45
62		Tardebigge Lock No 44
63		Tardebigge Lock No 43
64		Tardebigge Lock No 42
65		Tardebigge Lock No 41
66		Tardebigge Lock No 40
67		Tardebigge Lock No 39
68		Tardebigge Lock No 38
69		Tardebigge Lock No 37
70		Tardebigge Lock No 36
71		Tardebigge Lock No 35
72		Tardebigge Lock No 34
73		Tardebigge Lock No 33
74		Tardebigge Lock No 32
75		Tardebigge Lock No 31
76		Tardebigge Lock No 30
77		Tardebigge Bottom Lock No 29
78		Stoke Top Lock No 28
79		Stoke Lock No 27
80		Stoke Lock No 26
81		Stoke Lock No 25
82		Stoke Lock No 24
83		Stoke Prior Bottom Lock No 23
84		Astwood Top Lock No 22
85		Astwood Lock No 21
86		Astwood Lock No 20
87		Astwood Lock No 19
88		Astwood Lock No 18
89		Astwood Bottom Lock No 17
90		Offerton Top Lock No 16
91		Offerton Lock No 15
92		Offerton Lock No 14
93		Offerton Lock No 13
94		Offerton Lock No 12
95		Offerton Bottom Lock No 11
96		Tolladine Lock No 10
97		Blackpole Lock No 9
98		Bilford Top Lock
99		Bilford Bottom Lock
100		Gregory's Mill Top Lock
101		Gregory's Mill Bottom Lock
102		Blockhouse Lock No 4
103		Sidbury Lock No 3
104		Diglis Basin Lock No 2
105		Diglis Basin Lock No 1

• From Blowers Green to Tardebigge top lock, the ring is at the Birmingham Level for 27 miles.

Navigability

During spring freshet the Severn can be closed to navigation, making the ring not fully navigable. There is also potential for some sections of the ring being temporarily unnavigable consequent to lack of water during a drought.

See also

• Canals of the United Kingdom
• Canal ring
• River Severn

References

• Pearson's Guide to the Stourport Ring & the BCN 6th Edition

External links

• BW Stourport Ring guide
• Timelapse video from a boat ascending the Tardebigge lock Flight