Canal Basin - Froghall, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 02.467 W 002° 00.162
30U E 566864 N 5877310
This Transport Trust plaque celebrates the once busy Froghall Canal Wharf.
Waymark Code: WM11F1J
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/11/2019
Views: 4
The Canal Wharf
"The limestone industry was also significant in Froghall. At the nearby Froghall Wharf, limestone was loaded onto canal narrow boats or burnt in lime kilns and then transported to the Potteries or further afield. The limestone was mined in the huge quarries at Caldon Low and then loaded onto an inclined tramway to Froghall. Four tramways were built and parts of them are still traceable in the landscape including various bridges and inclines. The final tramway, built by James Trubshaw was the most significant and involved the most engineering. Trubshaw's tunnel near Windy Harbour is an excellent relic of this fourth route.
The canal basin at Froghall Wharf is now a pleasant spot for pleasure craft and walkers,with the huge dormant lime kilns dominating the area. It is hard to imagine the scene 100 years ago when loaded dusty wagons came speeding down the incline,with the noise from the crushing plant and the furnaces deafening and dust from the stone and smoke from the furnaces polluting the atmosphere.
As mentioned above, the Caldon Canal has played a large part in the development of industry around Froghall. The basin at Froghall Wharf was originally the terminus of the Caldon Canal, and a separate branch then ran to Uttoxeter. The Uttoxeter Canal was opened to traffic in 1811 and after years of heavy losses was closed in 1849. The branch was then mostly filled in and a railway was built over most of the canal bed."
Wikipedia extract
The Transport Trust Heritage Sites
"The Transport Heritage programme commemorates Britain's rich and globally important legacy in the development of transport. Our aim is to present a comprehensive overwiew for each site, in a way that will attract a new and wider audience.
The most significant of these locations are marked by erecting a Transport Trust Heritage Plaque or “Red Wheel” on the physical site. You can use the extensive search functions within this website to locate sites of greatest significance. To date we have placed 100 Red Wheels around the UK.
This programme links with, and takes advice from, national and local historians, industrial archaeologists and other experts, and historical societies. We work in partnership with relevant organisations - as an example the Canal & River Trust"
link
The Plaque Text
TRANSPORT TRUST
FROGHALL
CANAL BASIN
A major complex of canal-side wharves
and lime kilns fed, since 1778, by
a series of railways from the
Cauldon Low limestone quarries
For further information visit
www.transportheritage.com
TRANSPORT HERITAGE SITE