Canal Fight was Madness in the Pursuit of Sanity
History Of The Dudley Tunnel: Why It Closed and Reopened
‘Dudley Tunnel. Closed by the government on behalf of the people. Reopened by the people on behalf of themselves’
Canals have played a crucial role in transportation history and were an essential part of the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, enabling quicker and cheaper transportation of goods and supported inland trade to expand.
However, with the development of transportation methods attitudes and perceptions towards transport changed and by 1960, the rise in road transportation resulted in many being left to be forgotten and subjected to neglect.
The British Transport Commission took action to prevent boats navigating large parts of the Canal Network including the Dudley Tunnel by smashing paddle gear and sawing off balance beams.
Vic Smallshire teamed up with a group of like-minded people & boating enthusiasts, who opposed the negative perceptions of the canals. They frequently explored the Tunnels & Caverns, navigating it during the weekends until the British Transport Commission blocked the tunnel entrance amid rumours it had collapsed. ‘Continued navigation of the tunnel was seriously undermining their credibility by demonstrating that it had not collapsed’ Vic Smallshire told the Express and Star.
In 1960, a protest cruise was organised and a plan devised to remove the obstructions.
A letter to the Inland Waterways Association clarified that the Minister of Transport, Ernest Marples, was on record saying that ‘…although canals would be abandoned, there would be nothing to prevent people using them at their own risk’ Accordingly, with great ceremony and the application of pulley blocks, wedges, levers and sledge hammers, the obstruction was successful removed.
The notice stating that the Dudley Tunnel was closed, somehow got lost…but a replacement notice stating ‘Dudley Tunnel. Closed by the government on behalf of the people. Reopened by the people on behalf of themselves’ was planned, eventually being created and presented to commemorate the important role the Dudley Tunnel played in British Transport History in 2011.
With large support and demand from residents, the Dudley Tunnel was opened up for boat trips; first using boats borrowed from a Tipton Coal Merchant and then donated boats from various sources. It was on one of the weekly Sunday morning trips that a Dr John Fletcher advertised the modest trip, and 400 people arrived, stretching resources to the limit. Dr Fletcher, admired what the group had been doing and helped to set up what is today known as Dudley Canal & Tunnel Trust, becoming an official registered charity on the 7th January 1965.
The Trust has now been running underground experiences, extended tunnel and cavern exploration, open water trips, public & community engagement events for over 50 years. A new visitor centre with canal side restaurant, now gives even more people the opportunity to experience this fantastic attraction in the heart of the Black Country, with as many as 18 boats a day taking a trip that dates back 420 million years. All starting as a mad fight for the canals in the pursuit of sanity, and not bad for a bunch of Gongoozlers!
Want to discover more about the history of the Dudley Canal?
Click Here: https://dudleycanaltrust.org.uk/portfolios/history/
Discover more at Dudley Canal and Caverns:
Click here: https://dudleycanaltrust.org.uk/
Book your own Underground Adventure
Click here: https://dudleycanaltrust.merlintickets.co.uk/
Blog post uses references from an Express and Star article (Canal Fight Was Madness In The Pursuit Of Sanity), Thursday 16th May, 2013.