Top Lock, Spon Lane Locks, with Attached Footbridge Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level is a Grade II listed building in the Sandwell local planning authority area, England. First listed on 30 March 1987. Lock and footbridge. 2 related planning applications.
Top Lock, Spon Lane Locks, with Attached Footbridge Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level
- WRENN ID
- deep-trefoil-rain
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Sandwell
- Constituency
- West Bromwich MP: Sarah Coombes (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 30 March 1987
- Type
- Lock and footbridge
- OS grid reference
- SP 003 898
- Coordinates
- 52.50673, -1.99568
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
Top Lock at Spon Lane Locks is part of a flight of three locks on the Wolverhampton Level of the Birmingham Canal, likely built around 1790. This followed the reduction of Brindley's original flight of six locks, constructed in 1769. The structure is primarily made of brick, featuring sandstone kerbstones that have been partially replaced by concrete. It includes cast-iron sluice gear, with a single upper gate and a double lower gate.
An attached footbridge crosses the lower entrance to the lock chamber. This bridge is made of cast iron and has brick abutments with sandstone dressings. Originally, the bridge was in two halves, cantilevered from each bank, which allowed a rope to pass through a central slot. The walkway has since been concreted, and the cast-iron railings are only present on the downstream side. Notably, the Old Main Line on the Wolverhampton Level was bypassed by Telford's New Main Line on the Birmingham Level in 1829.
Local climate
Top Lock, Spon Lane Locks, with Attached Footbridge 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 — 2 applications
- 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
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
Similar buildings
The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.
- 1 Middle Lock, Spon Lane Locks Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level
- 2 Top Lock of Three, Smethwick Locks, with Attached Footbridge (Approximately 270 Metres West, South West of Bridge Street Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level
- 3 Bottom Lock, Spon Lane Locks Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level
- 4 Birmingham Canal No 15 Lock
- 5 Birmingham Canal No 14 Lock
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- Bottom Lock, Spon Lane Locks Birmingham Canal Wolverhampton Level
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