Today I got to walk the other half of the Digbeth Branch Canal from Curzon Street to Aston Junction where it joins the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. This point is the bottom lock of the six Ashted locks.
I found the brickwork, which you can see in the right of the picture, quite interesting. It is English Bond made up of alternating courses of stretchers and headers. Here’s a link explaining brick bonding, this picture is of English Bond.
After five locks the canal enters the Ashtead Tunnel which is only one boat wide, immediately at the end of the tunnel is the last Ashtead lock. Most locks have a pond before them so that boats can wait for any boat in the lock to vacate it and be able to pass the waiting boat. Not here! It’s straight through the tunnel with its restricted vision only to be confronted by a lock gate!
After this sixth lock the canal runs through Aston Science Park before it reaches Aston Junction.
Well done Malcolm – you remembered the mortar joint – although I seem to recall that we would add 5% ‘waste’ and allow 62-63 !!!
Single skin? That would be 60 :-)
Ah Mr Loades, going off topic onto brickwork bonds – reminds me of my previous career! Perhaps you would like to tell me how many bricks are required for a metre square of stretcher bond ???
Mind you, an excellent way to spend the possibly tiresome Birmingham break.