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BLACK DELPH,
or NINE LOCKS as it known locally

The Stourbridge canal ends here at the foot of the Delph flight which is part of the Dudley Canal, line one. Locally it is known as the Nine Locks, although there are only eight.

The Stourbridge Canal is just under six miles in length with 20 locks, all narrow. It leaves the Staffs & Worcs canal at Stourton Junction in very rural surroundings, it climbs quickly and steeply into the Black Country, the heavy industries of the past have now disappeared, to be replaced by office blocks and shopping malls. But the canal still contains much of its old content. There is a short branch canal to Stourbridge, a busy town with many old shops.

THIS PHOTO IS LOOKING DOWN THE SIXTEEN LOCK FLIGHT AT WORDSLEY

THIS PHOTO IS LOOKING UP THE FLIGHT.

EARLY SPRING LIGHT ON THE FLIGHT

This photograph shows the bottle shaped kiln of the of the Stuart Crystal factory. There is a factory shop here where you can buy the glass at much lower prices than you can in the shops.

On the road, at the top of the flight is a pub with the sign of the 10th lock, you can see that this is a usage gained from the game of golf, when they refer to the club house, as the 19th hole.