The charity making life better by water
Making life better by water
The Rushall Canal is one of the most rural in the Birmingham Canal Navigations, taking you through green countryside and leafy tree tunnels.
Well-kept gardens, picturesque lock-keepers cottages and traditional canal pubs dot the route.
The canal links the Daw End Branch Canal with the Tame Valley Canal. It was nicknamed ‘The Ganzies' by boatmen of old, due to the thick Guernsey style jumpers they resorted to wearing on the more exposed stretches.
The line was built in 1847 and created a link from the coalfields of Cannock to the expanding industries of Birmingham. It also provided a source of water for the Tame Valley Canal that at the time was being used by hundreds of boats per month.
Near the top of the line is the site of the former Walsall Airport. Opened in 1930 it was home to frequent air displays. Spitfires were repaired and maintained here in World War II.
Find out more about all the canals that make up the BCN - the Birmingham Canal Navigations.
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