Bottom Lock And Attached Cantilever Footbridge, Factory Locks (Approximately 50 Meters North Of Furnace Parade) Birmingham Canal Birmingham Level

The Bottom Lock and attached cantilever footbridge at Factory Locks, located approximately 50 meters north of Furnace Parade in Birmingham, was constructed around 1829 and designed by engineer Thomas Telford. This structure is part of a flight of three locks. It features brick construction with sandstone kerbs in the lock chambers, although some of these have been replaced by concrete. There is cast-iron sluice gear at the upper side and single gates. At the lower end of the lock chamber, a cantilevered cast-iron footbridge extends from the southern bank, allowing a tow rope to pass through the gap between the bridge and the northern bank. The sides of the footbridge are cast in one piece, with a handrail that curves up from a flat deck, and they are designed with a cross-braced pattern. This flight of locks raises Telford's New Main Line on the Birmingham Level up to the 473 feet Wolverhampton Level.