The history
James Brindleywas appointed surveyor. Construction proceeded quickly, the southern section from Compton (near Wolverhampton) to the Severn opening in 1771, the rest of the canal northwards opening the following year.
The southern section served several ironworks, coal from the Ironbridge Gorge being brought down the Severn then up the canal. Much more traffic was gained when other canals joined the Staffs & Worcs: the Birmingham Canal at Aldersley Junction in 1772 and the Stourbridge Canal at Stourton Junction in 1779. Once the Trent & Mersey was completed in 1777, the northern section of the Staffs & Worcs became part of the canal route from Birmingham and the Black Country to the Mersey ports.
Stourport Basins
At Stourport a basin was made where coal from the Dudley Canal and manufactured goods were transshipped from narrow boats into Severn trows. The settlement here quickly grew into a town, with warehouses, inns, and industries such as boat-building, tanneries, ironworks and mills. Over the years, further basins were added.
The canal passed over a mile to the south of Stafford. A horse tramroad was opened from Radford wharf in 1805, and in 1816 the River Sow was made navigable up to the town and a connecting lock built. Another valuable link was made when the Hatherton Branch of the Wyrley & Essington Canal opened in 1841.
Some traffic was lost when the Worcester & Birmingham Canal opened in 1815, providing a more convenient route from Birmingham to the Severn. More was lost when the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction opened in 1835, with its shorter and easier route to the Mersey ports, but Staffs & Worcs were granted a compensation toll on all traffic passing to or from it.
Nevertheless, the canal continued to be prosperous. Unlike its neighbours, it was never sold or leased to a railway company, staying independent until nationalisation in 1948. The last regular commercial traffic was coal from Cannock to Stourport power station, which ceased in 1949.
