Soho loop BCN – Exploring Birmingham

I explore part of the Soho BCN old-line loop that joins the BCN mainline looking at bits of history and more starting in Smethwick looking at a few bits and pieces before heading to the loop . we take a look at soho foundry on the way . I look at Winson green a bit of history on asylums by asylum bridge then a look around the canal . glad we didn’t film over the weather turned and went horrible but a great filming day .

0:00 intro
0:04 Brooks saddle – bike seat
1:20 BCN Mainline intro
3:40 Soho foundry
7:00 Soho loop

Soho loop
https://www.ukwaterwaysguide.co.uk/map/new-main-line-bcn/soho-loop#:~:text=The%20Soho%20Loop%20is%201.2,Line%20canal%20for%20through%20traffic.

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– midlands outdoors

Hello and welcome back to the bidens outdoor CH back with another video today we’re head Northway to the soo Loop next to the Birmingham Canal Mainline got Adrian with us today so you want to say that morning hello how you doing so we want to talk about Adrian’s bike SE

Because there is a bit of history behind me from where his bike sit was actually made well we’ve come to Dany Street to see where my bike saddle was made so this is my Brooks B17 saddle it’s really cool isn’t it Adrian yeah it’s m of leather it’s very sturdy how many years

You had that one then I’ve had it um three years now three years 2 12,000 mil maybe that’s really good isn’t it yeah but this was designed by local John blocks right and he’s first started making these in 19 80 something and he still making them today 1882 today that’s amazing

Stilling we can just see right around to the corner here it highs onto the Brooks and there we go there’s um a similar style to Adrian seat Brooks JB Brooks and Co limited established 1866 the finest saddle in the world so here we are onto the BCM Mainline just something interesting

Right away in front of us is some very OD boats go it’s cold is it I know it’s fre in today so we’re now on the junction of what we are the buan main line and the old that’s the Old Branch isn’t it yeah what I was saying to Drew was the bridge

We stood on now according to the sign on the side it was 182 28 yeah so what we need to find out is if these were put in when tord brought in main line through here where these were put in at that time down yeah would it have gone across

Here that’s right or would it have just curved was this part of the original Canal Bridge yeah there’s another with the looks like it would have been there would have been like a loading W there is the boats would have gone into the if

You look at the old Maps this SE of the canal is full of old loading Wars think this one just down look could have been loading Wars on the left I mean where the found is where the S Foundry wearing go yeah that really dice back once more

Doesn’t it well where that chap has just walked over that you can see there’s a definite bump in the in the tow path yeah and I think looking at the old map there was an old loading Warf into that factory So right here we are this is where Soo Foundry was many years ago just right away front you can just see a stack sticking right away there and what’s so interesting the canal itself the burer main line just right away underneath me the canal went in there many years ago

Going right underneath possibly to a loading War just right on to that corner on one of the videos I’ve seen yeah that this is where the horses went through and the barges went through there so if we carefully view from this corner there we go there’s the evidence where the

Canal went back in the old day so it’s nice to see right underneath it a section what I’ve not showed you before on the Burmingham Canal videos you see the bottom area here it’s really cool to see that where the horses come in and out evident industry part so this went

Into so Foundry didn’t it yeah so if we just Journey back up we’ll go and show you the stack just right one to the corner if we just carefully zoom in a little bit I just want to give you another view of the stack sticking right the way

Up that really does Di back a bit to when the factory was even used steam engines as far as I know so the most steam engines would you say made anything else popular mat B and James wat Matthew Bon James wat they were the pioneering industry sub berum all

Right so this was their original Foundry where they made the steam engines so there we go imagine that chimney yeah is probably something to do with um a furnace or a some kind of wanding mechanism perhaps to power the the machines in the the factory who knows it’s like I say

It’s nice to see a stack cuz there isn’t many stacks from the old days is it from a factories really that’s listed who knows so I’m Reckoning gr listed that probably is it could be what we need nowed to come back I they Fred dner on the chimneys take it bit by

Bit but wow just really lovely to see that so right me and Adrian have made it we’re at the main gate for the Soho Foundry so this is it so if we pan all the way around we can just see Journey from this corner he says up to there

Avery so if we to zoom in you’ve got ay through there Journey a little bit further back it says uh Soho Foundry going all the way down so I mean the gates are so cool to see if I just view all the way Dar he’s the very old

Gates view from this corner you just the gates from this angle so it goes all the way in we got the old factory units right around that corner there you see all the chimney sticking all the way up we got the new Ivory section Ivory white tronic

Avery bur so you may have seen on my last video what I did on the canal I covered a bit of information the history behind Avery itself but it’s so interesting to see the old architecture of the old Soho Foundry I mean the architecture is just so cool you’ve got

The pillar sticking all the way down I mean the little cracks in the wall if I had to zoom in Che out that it just really does Dat Back a bit even scaffolding supportting the very top of it just up to there but it’s just really nice to see this Did You So right we’ve made it the Soho Loop so if we just pan all the way around to show you we’ve got the loop itself which goes all the way around just come under a little train bridge at the moment we should be backing off to some more very

Old bridges with lots more interesting information history so let’s go and check it out just notice A Very Old Bridge coming all the way across I think this is a very old Railway Bridge cuz on the other side there is says Winston green raway bridge there’s a train Depo

Just be yeah a train Depo Bey I’d imagine this isaps original one there yeah the original Bridge the train depot could be dat’s really old and I’m not too sure if it’s this one in front so we could be the next one but we’ve got a bridge down here called

Ain bridge and once more there’s lots of interesting information and history behind it so if we just carefully Journey all the way down we’ll see what we can find to uh tell you about so we got holes there do you know what the for you those were for the fire brigade in

World War II right fireade to get water out of the canal all right so all the water for me was pumped out of there to go through the doors and get the houses down and the pump and Su the water out all right some more history there that’s

Really cool to see that and then you can just definitely see this really does Dat Back a bit and there’s something there say in the dsection if I just care zoom in got a very old uh wooden sign onto the other side I so this is Winston green prison

If I just carefully park my bike up so I didn’t realize that is actually winon green prison and you got there and no drone or fly zone so you can’t fly your drones around these areas obviously because of the security of the prison itself just be careful what you film

Don’t Go Over the Top yeah so we’re going to be careful not to film by the prison but what I want to show you just by the prison itself is a very old Canal tunnel going right away under it’s m Wonder winon Green prison um how far it

Dates back was there a loading Warf somewhere on the other side if it was uh something different before the prison could be something else but I can just see an inway going under back in the old days led to something on that side over there so some more interesting

Information history looking on the Soho Loop itself and here we are a very old bridge called ayum Bridge you can just see how old it really is from the outside of it and then from this angle we’ve got the other side of the assal and Bridge

Itself and onto the side here it say canalside walk 1996 bcn Norman Street but you can see how old the side of the walls I’m lead Northway across there when the new straight and 1829 Canal cut across the older and longer 1769 route it created a large

Island here at Winson green on the outskirts of the 19th Century City Civic authorities used the area to build large institutions for treatment punishment segregation and isolation the name Asylum Bridge hints at the shame and Desperation felt by many of those hous there so you can see asylums over here

So you did mention something about Asylum didn’t you it was Asylum we were just coming on there right and then this was the workhouse and the Asylum and this park still exists so right Journey further down we’ve come through to this uh little Park itself I think it’s

Called all science hospital and this is all science park right so if we pan around you can see where the green is all the green here well that was on that map we just looked at so all that little area there so you can just see zooming

Right away in front we’ve got all the old parts of the Asylum buildings themselves so these are part of the Asylum but it’s all now part of the prison itself isn’t it part of the prison yeah so we just see very carefully zoing nor way in I mean the

Architecture that’s really does Dat Back a bit it’s really cool to see that isn’t it you never believe it was here you no it’s got a lot of history behind it so we’ve got a bit of information here it actually says b Lunatic Asylum and fever Hospital mental illness in

Infectious diseases were threatening in the 19th century as nobody really understood their causes or their treatment but the poor City authorities felt that like poor the sick and the insane should be kept out of sight a lunatic ass was built at the winon Green in 1850 so you just see all this

Building behind me right now dates at 1800 which is really cool and it says here specialist isolation hospitals for small pox and scarlet fever were added in 1883 So there is a bit of History it says the Soho Loop is a 1.2 mile section of the bcn old line canal built in the 18th century and completed in 1769 the new Mainline Canal was built in 1827 to improve travel times between the Center Birmingham and Tipton bypassing

Much of the traffic of the old Mainline Canal uh for through traffic so the Soho Loop was bypassed by a straight 0.75 mile section of the new line uh Canal but remained connected to the mainline Canal system and continued to provide access for all existing factories and

Wolves so you can just see right away in front of me we’ve got another off Branch where narrow boats are more molded up onto the corner so imagine back in the old days this was used during the Industrial times to travel things down from factories various other things

Imagine there might have been colines down I really don’t know but I’m not too sure if you can see it but this is actually called hawkley Port uh junk function Bridge got a sign just right on to the corner there but I really love to checking out this section cuz you see

Right the way down zooming in you see more evidence of canals going all the way down but yeah it’s really cool to see if I carefully zoom in you can just see the old architecture of the old infirmary but zooming over way and I think it’s going to rain

Adrian you see all the clouds coming all way over pretty cool so yeah basically this is the Soho Loop it got more bridges right the way down the bottom but it comes in a a loop going all the way around back to the buring mainline Canal I must say I’ve really enjoy come

To check this section of the canal out what I’ve never seen before R I’ve enjoyed it as well yeah yeah it’s been fantastic I normally just ccle pass and not not think about the history no you don’t really think about it when you’re like when you’re walking you see much

More you know taking your details but when you’re on bike CU we have to travel far to get to these locations so the bike is 100% needed especially for me for milone it’s a long long journey but we’ll get some rest of the cinematics down this canal so we’ll go all the way

Around and see what other things we can actually find for you so let’s go and journey down the rest of the Soho Loop and join back up to the Birmingham Mainline let’s go and check it Out Oh Adrian the weather’s gone absolutely terrible hasn’t it I’ve gone cold I’m absolutely freezing with Railway Bridge Soo and on the other side there is a section of the canal what you can’t walk and if I carefully zoom in to show you I’ll quickly show you from this angle

We’re going to take cover a it’s absolutely going to P down R it size there 18 19 54 right well underneath the bridge so interesting date about that and that’s actually the nneil port Loop going all way that way so I’ve always wanted to see that section of the canal

Line lots of issue there Adrian there is yeah there’s one thing I want to point out yeah while we got time is if you look at the bridges yeah that one yeah that one yeah and then you look at the bridge we stood underneath yeah have a

Look at the difference between them uh that one’s different um so that’s like an original style that one’s got a different style to it and if you carefully view this one this one’s just a standard Bridge so in 1953 I think it was yeah where the next

Video we’ll shoot is the harbor and Railway the harbor and Railway is the next one yeah this bridge used to be the same as these right the arment in this got got right so I never knew that so that’s quite interesting to see that this bridge was reconstructed because of

A derailment of the train there’s a Runway TR but all this we’re so lucky I think what we should do is just get straight to yours Adrian have a coffee get a kettle on get under here from yours then all the way back home like a plant yeah definitely instead of

Being out in this so yeah I’ve really enjoyed today it’s been absolutely fantastic so I want to give another thank you to adri thanks for joining the video been really brilliant he’s he’s got expertise on some of the history around different places so want to give him a

Thank you especially tell about the bridge right way in front I I Train derailed and they replaced it I never knew that we’ll talk about that in the next video when we do the har Branch line so our next section of the video we’re going to be filming together is

The harbor Branch line so we’ll be starting off is it down there Adrian sh you a bridge right the way to the bottom got to try so yeah we’ll be showing you down there moving from there all the way down to the railway line w’t we and then

We’ll go to birmingh as well into Birmingham so I’m looking forward another video excellent it’s not how bad it’s going it’s really bad so yeah thank you very much for watching hit the Subscribe button and see you soon hope you’ve enjoyed the new section of canal what

I’ve Never filmed learn you a bit of History so yeah see you in the next video