Chillington Wharf was originally constructed by the Chillington Iron Company (as Monmore Green Basin) for transhipment of products from
their nearby foundry, via tramway, onto the BCN's Birmingham Canal. Unfortunately, Chillington Iron Company went
bust in 1885 with the wharf being bought by the then-rapidly expanding LNWR who linked the wharf to their line into
Wolverhampton High Level station between Ettingshall Road and Monmore Green stations and rebuilt the site in 1902. For me, this
was a lucky find as, although I had heard of it, it was only a chance glance from the window of the Midland
Metro as I was travelling along Bilston Road that alerted me to its presence! Above we see the site from the now disused gateway on the corner of Chillington Street
and Bilston Road. Although the site is now listed and partly in use by EWS, it is in very poor repair, as you will see below, and would
certainly benefit from some remedial maintenance and/or investment in restoration if it is to be prevented from
further deterioration. |
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Above-left we are looking along Chillington Street from Bilston Road with trucks from the present day
Steel Terminal visible to the left. Above-right we have walked as far as is now possible along Chillington Street, with the
wharf to our left, and are looking through the gates under the Birmingham-Wolverhampton main line and into the extant
Steel Terminal, the majority of which lies out of shot beyond the railway embankment ahead. |
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Above-left we have made our way onto the towpath along the canal which provides, largely as the result
of therer being a hump-backed bridge under which the canal passes to enter the wharf, the best vantage point for viewing the site.
This shot clearly shows the railway siding, which is alongside the canal arm that is obscured by the bush to the
left-hand side of the shot. Above-right we get a better view of the transhipment shed under which there is now a single
canal arm: there were originally two. |
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Above-left we are again getting a view of the transhipment shed showing both the railway and canal and above-right
we see the side of the shed with the canal and railway off-camera to the right. |
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Above-right and left we see an interesting remnant of the wharf's working history: a
Babcock & Wilcox Ltd 10-ton overhead crane that now hovers precariously above the site. All-in-all this
was a fascinating 'find' and I would certainly recommend a visit especially as it is, I believe, the only wharf of
its type still standing! |
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