Daw End Branch Canal

Wyrley and Essington Canal
Sneyd Wharf on the Wyrley and Essington Canal
Specifications
Maximum boat length	70 ft 0 in (21.34 m)
Maximum boat beam	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Locks	0 (originally 39)
Status	Most navigable
Navigation authority	Canal and River Trust
History
Original owner	Birmingham Canal Navigations
Principal engineer	William Pitt
Date of act	1792, 1794
Date completed	1797
Date closed	Sneyd Branch 1900s, parts in 1955
Geography
Start point	Wolverhampton
End point	Huddlesford Junction near Lichfield
Branch(es)	Sneyd, Cannock Extension, Daw End, Chasewater

The Wyrley and Essington Canal, known locally as "the Curly Wyrley", is a canal in the English Midlands. As built it ran from Wolverhampton to Huddlesford Junction near Lichfield, with a number of branches: some parts are currently derelict. Pending planned restoration to Huddlesford, the navigable mainline now terminates at Ogley Junction near Brownhills. In 2008 it was designated a Local Nature Reserve.

The canal was built to allow transport of coal from coal mines near Wyrley, Essington and New Invention to Wolverhampton and Walsall, but also carried limestone and other goods. An Act of Parliament received the Royal Assent on 30 April 1792, entitled "An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from, or from near, Wyrley Bank, in the county of Stafford, to communicate with the Birmingham and Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, at or near the town of Wolverhampton, in the said county; and also certain collateral Cuts therein described from the said intended Canal".

As the act's name suggests, this authorised the construction of the canal from the BCN Main Line of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (which would not be known as such until 1794) near Wolverhampton to Wyrley Bank, and the raising of up to £45,000 to pay for construction. William Pitt was appointed engineer.

A second act received Royal Assent on 28 March 1794, entitled "An Act for extending the Wyrley and Essington Canal" – this authorised a long extension, from Sneyd (thus making the line from Sneyd to Wyrley Bank effectively a branch) past Lichfield to Huddlesford Junction on the Coventry Canal, together with the raising of up to £115,000 (equivalent to £11,915,278 in 2015), to complete construction. The 1794 Act also authorised a branch to the Hay Head Limeworks, which became known as the Daw End branch, and a short branch to Lords Hayes.