The Stourport Ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit, or canal ring, around Worcestershire, The Black Country and Birmingham in The Midlands, England. The ring is formed from the River Severn, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Stourbridge Canal, the Dudley Canals, the Birmingham Canal Navigations (Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal and Birmingham New Main Line) and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.

Stourport Ring
Map of the Ring
Specifications
Length74 miles (119 km)
Locks105
StatusCanal ring
Navigation authorityCanal & River Trust

The ring is 74 miles and includes 105 locks including 3 electrically operated river locks, 2 pairs of staircase locks and 2 broad locks. The route includes flights of locks at Tardebigge (x30), Stourbridge (x16) and the Black Delph at Brierley Hill (x8). The route also includes two of the longest navigable tunnels on the UK network, these being the Netherton and Wast Hills Tunnels.

The ring has an alternative longer route via Wolverhampton of 83 miles and 122 locks and does not include the Stourbridge or Dudley canals. This route uses the connection between the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, and the BCN Main Line at Aldersley Junction.

The ring is popular for cruising and has a number of narrowboat hire centres on the route including Alvechurch, Viking Afloat (Worcester), Anglo-Welsh (Tardebigge), Brook Line (Dunhampstead) and Black Prince (Stoke Prior).

Whittington Lock on the S&W Canal

Popular visitor attractions on or close to the Stourport Ring include Cadbury World, The Black Country Living Museum, the Severn Valley Railway, Kinver Edge, the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, Brindleyplace plus the Merry Hill, Bullring and Mailbox shopping centres.

Popular overnight mooring places on the ring include Worcester city centre, Stourport Basin, Wolverley, Kinver, Merry Hill, Windmill End, The Black Country Museum (via short detour), Gas Street Basin, Hopwood, Stoke Works and Dunhampstead.

Kidderminster Lock on the S&W Canal

List of all locks on the ring with their map references

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Based on travelling clockwise and starting at Worcester. Excludes the northern extension.

Lock Number Waterway Lock Name Coordinates OS Grid Ref
1 River Severn Bevere Lock 52°14′00″N 2°14′27″W / 52.2333°N 2.2407°W / 52.2333; -2.2407 (Bevere Lock) SO835593
2 Holt Lock SO820634
3 Lincomb Lock 52°19′18″N 2°15′53″W / 52.3216°N 2.2646°W / 52.3216; -2.2646 (Lincomb Lock) SO821693
4/5 Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Stourport basin lower staircase SO809710
6/7 Stourport basin upper staircase SO809710
8 Stourport York Street Lock 3 52°20′19″N 2°16′43″W / 52.3386°N 2.2787°W / 52.3386; -2.2787 (Stourport York Street Lock 3) SO811712
9 Falling Sands Lock 4 52°22′03″N 2°15′17″W / 52.3674°N 2.2548°W / 52.3674; -2.2548 (Falling Sands Lock 4) SO827744
10 Caldwell Lock 5 52°22′42″N 2°15′17″W / 52.3783°N 2.2548°W / 52.3783; -2.2548 (Caldwell Lock 5) SO827756
11 Kidderminster Lock 6 SO829768
12 Wolverley Court Lock 7 52°24′11″N 2°15′09″W / 52.4031°N 2.2524°W / 52.4031; -2.2524 (Wolverley Court Lock 7) SO829784
13 Wolverley Lock 8 52°24′37″N 2°14′59″W / 52.4102°N 2.2497°W / 52.4102; -2.2497 (Wolverley Lock 8) SO830791
14 Debdale Lock 9 SO839801
15 Whittington Lock 10 52°26′26″N 2°13′02″W / 52.4406°N 2.2171°W / 52.4406; -2.2171 (Whittington Lock 10) SO853825
16 Kinver Lock 11 SO848834
17 Hyde Lock 12 SO848834
18 Stewponey Lock 13 52°27′42″N 2°12′21″W / 52.4616°N 2.2059°W / 52.4616; -2.2059 (Stewponey Lock 13) SO850842
19 Stourbridge Canal Stourton Bottom Lock 52°27′49″N 2°12′17″W / 52.4636°N 2.2047°W / 52.4636; -2.2047 (Stourton Bottom Lock) SO861851
20 Stourton Lock SO862851
21 Stourton Lock SO864852
22 Stourton Top Lock 52°27′53″N 2°11′56″W / 52.4646°N 2.1990°W / 52.4646; -2.1990 (Stourton Top Lock) SO865852
23 Stourbridge Bottom Lock 16 52°28′22″N 2°09′51″W / 52.4728°N 2.1643°W / 52.4728; -2.1643 (Stourbridge Bottom Lock 16) SO889861
24 Stourbridge Lock 15 SO890863
25 Stourbridge Lock 14 SO891863
26 Stourbridge Lock 13 SO892864
27 Stourbridge Lock 12 SO894865
28 Stourbridge Lock 11 SO895865
29 Stourbridge Lock 10 SO895865
30 Stourbridge Lock 9 SO896865
31 Stourbridge Lock 8 SO897866
32 Stourbridge Lock 7 SO897867
33 Stourbridge Lock 6 SO898867
34 Stourbridge Lock 5 SO899868
35 Stourbridge Lock 4 SO899868
36 Stourbridge Lock 3 SO900869
37 Stourbridge Lock 2 SO902871
38 Stourbridge Top Lock 1 52°28′58″N 2°08′37″W / 52.4829°N 2.1436°W / 52.4829; -2.1436 (Stourbridge Top Lock 1) SO903872
39 Dudley Canal Line No. 1 Delph Bottom Lock 8 52°28′32″N 2°07′23″W / 52.4756°N 2.1230°W / 52.4756; -2.1230 (Delph Bottom Lock 8) SO917863
40 Delph Lock 7 SO917864
41 Delph Lock 6 SO918864
42 Delph Lock 5 SO918865
43 Delph Lock 4 SO918865
44 Delph Lock 3 SO919866
45 Delph Lock 2 SO920866
46 Delph Top Lock 1 52°28′44″N 2°07′06″W / 52.4790°N 2.1184°W / 52.4790; -2.1184 (Delph Top Lock 1) SO920867
47 Blowers Green Lock* 52°29′51″N 2°05′52″W / 52.4975°N 2.0979°W / 52.4975; -2.0979 (Blowers Green Lock) SO934888
Dudley Canal Line No. 2 (no locks)
Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal (no locks)
Birmingham New Main Line (no locks)
48 Worcester and Birmingham Canal Tardebigge Top Lock No 58* 52°19′17″N 2°00′39″W / 52.3214°N 2.0107°W / 52.3214; -2.0107 (Tardebigge Top Lock No 58) SO993692
49 Tardebigge Lock No 57 SO987689
50 Tardebigge Lock No 56 SO987688
51 Tardebigge Lock No 55 SO986688
52 Tardebigge Lock No 54 SO986688
53 Tardebigge Lock No 53 SO984686
54 Tardebigge Lock No 52 SO984686
55 Tardebigge Lock No 51 SO984685
56 Tardebigge Lock No 50 SO984685
57 Tardebigge Lock No 49 SO982683
58 Tardebigge Lock No 48 SO982683
59 Tardebigge Lock No 47 SO980683
60 Tardebigge Lock No 46 SO979683
61 Tardebigge Lock No 45 SO979683
62 Tardebigge Lock No 44 SO978682
63 Tardebigge Lock No 43 SO976682
64 Tardebigge Lock No 42 SO976682
65 Tardebigge Lock No 41 SO975682
66 Tardebigge Lock No 40 SO974682
67 Tardebigge Lock No 39 SO973681
68 Tardebigge Lock No 38 SO972680
69 Tardebigge Lock No 37 SO971680
70 Tardebigge Lock No 36 SO970679
71 Tardebigge Lock No 35 SO969679
72 Tardebigge Lock No 34 SO968678
73 Tardebigge Lock No 33 SO967678
74 Tardebigge Lock No 32 SO966678
75 Tardebigge Lock No 31 SO965679
76 Tardebigge Lock No 30 SO964679
77 Tardebigge Bottom Lock No 29 52°18′36″N 2°03′15″W / 52.3099°N 2.0542°W / 52.3099; -2.0542 (Tardebigge Bottom Lock No 29) SO962679
78 Stoke Top Lock No 28 52°18′28″N 2°03′28″W / 52.3078°N 2.0578°W / 52.3078; -2.0578 (Stoke Top Lock No 28) SO961677
79 Stoke Lock No 27 SO956672
80 Stoke Lock No 26 SO958672
81 Stoke Lock No 25 SO956672
82 Stoke Lock No 24 SO955671
83 Stoke Prior Bottom Lock No 23 52°18′05″N 2°04′16″W / 52.3015°N 2.0710°W / 52.3015; -2.0710 (Stoke Prior Bottom Lock No 23) SO952670
84 Astwood Top Lock No 22 52°17′17″N 2°05′19″W / 52.2880°N 2.0886°W / 52.2880; -2.0886 (Astwood Top Lock No 22) SO940655
85 Astwood Lock No 21 SO939654
86 Astwood Lock No 20 SO939653
87 Astwood Lock No 19 SO937652
88 Astwood Lock No 18 SO936650
89 Astwood Bottom Lock No 17 52°16′41″N 2°05′51″W / 52.2781°N 2.0974°W / 52.2781; -2.0974 (Astwood Bottom Lock No 17) SO934644
90 Offerton Top Lock No 16 52°13′14″N 2°09′05″W / 52.2205°N 2.1514°W / 52.2205; -2.1514 (Offerton Top Lock No 16) SO897580
91 Offerton Lock No 15 SO896580
92 Offerton Lock No 14 SO894580
93 Offerton Lock No 13 SO893580
94 Offerton Lock No 12 SO890578
95 Offerton Bottom Lock No 11 52°13′04″N 2°09′53″W / 52.2178°N 2.1646°W / 52.2178; -2.1646 (Offerton Bottom Lock No 11) SO888577
96 Tolladine Lock No 10 SO877576
97 Blackpole Lock No 9 SO869576
98 Bilford Top Lock SO856570
99 Bilford Bottom Lock SO856569
100 Gregory's Mill Top Lock SO850565
101 Gregory's Mill Bottom Lock SO853553
102 Blockhouse Lock No 4 SO854546
103 Sidbury Lock No 3 SO852544
104 Diglis Basin Lock No 2 SO849538
105 Diglis Basin Lock No 1 52°10′57″N 2°13′22″W / 52.1826°N 2.2229°W / 52.1826; -2.2229 (Diglis Basin Lock No 1) SO848538
  • From Blowers Green to Tardebigge top lock, the ring is at the Birmingham Level for 27 miles.
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During spring freshet the Severn can be closed to navigation, making the ring not fully navigable. There is also potential for some sections of the ring being temporarily unnavigable consequent to lack of water during a drought.

See also

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References

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  • Pearson's Guide to the Stourport Ring & the BCN 6th Edition ISBN 0-9545383-1-5
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