Top Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks, with Attached Footbridge (Approximately 270 Metres West, South West of Bridge Street Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level is a Grade II listed building in the Sandwell local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 March 1987. Canal lock, footbridge. 1 related planning application.

Top Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks, with Attached Footbridge (Approximately 270 Metres West, South West of Bridge Street Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level

WRENN ID
south-belfry-sunrise
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
Sandwell
Constituency
Smethwick MP: Gurinder Singh Josan (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
30 March 1987
Type
Canal lock, footbridge
OS grid reference
SP 024 889
Coordinates
52.49857, -1.96578
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The top lock of three at Smethwick Locks, along with an attached footbridge, is located approximately 270 meters west-southwest of Bridge Street on the Birmingham Canal, Wolverhampton Level. This canal lock dates back to around 1790, when the original Smethwick summit level from 1769 was lowered to match the Wolverhampton pound. It is constructed of brick with sandstone kerbstones, some of which have been replaced by concrete. The lock features cast-iron sluice gear at both the upper and lower ends and has single gates. Spanning the lower end of the lock chamber is a brick footbridge, which has a single elliptical arch and parapets topped with sandstone copings, although the east side has been partly rebuilt. The locks were bypassed following the completion of the Smethwick cutting on the Birmingham Level in 1829.

Local climate

Top Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks, with Attached Footbridge (Approximately 270 Metres West, South West of Bridge Street Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level receives an average of 790 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 74% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 40 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 77% of listed buildings. Of these, 20 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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