I discovered a hidden canal gem in the West Midlands that is often overlooked by locals – yet it’s full of wonderful stories of days gone by
By Deborah Hardiman
Copyright expressandstar
Among the wonderful hidden gems taking part in Heritage Open Days this year is the Galton Valley Pump House in Smethwick.
Nestled close to Brasshouse Lane Bridge and beneath the road of the same name, passerbys new to the area can be forgiven for missing the small and pleasant visitor attraction on their doorsteps. Owned by the Canal & Rivers Trust the pump house is operated by Sandwell Council and manned by volunteers on behalf of Sandwell Museum Service, who greet visitor and host community group and school trips.
Among them is Wayne Siverns, who grew up in Darlaston, who has been helping out at the Smethwick site for more than 20 years.
“This particular building was built in 1892 to serve the two canals here. We’re open today for a Heritage Open Day event to just bring the heritage of the canal in the Black Country to the people of the area and wider.
“It’s only operated until 1923 and then it was sort of decommissioned and we ended up rebuilding it.”
The museum station is situated between Birmingham New Main Line and the high Old Main Line Canal and is named after the industrialist and gun manufacturer Sam Galton. It was built with the purpose of pumping water to replace the water lost from the higher level when boats went through the Smethwick locks near Bridge Street.
It tells the story of Galton’s Valley canal system and the people that lived and worked on it. Among the treats inside for visitors is a colourful furnished narrowboat which was previously displayed at Walsall’s former Birchills Canal Museum in Old Birchills which closed in 2003.
“This station was built to manage the water levels between the two canals. It’s what’s known as a recirculating pump. By the 1930s the place was derelict. In 1999 a grant application was made to the European Development Fund to rebuild the chimney.
“The pump engine currently on display came from the north east. Both boilers were built by Thompsons Boilers which was based in Ettingshall near Bilston. One of the boilers came from a Hartley Jams plant and the other from the old Smethwick Rolfe Street Baths. There were two boilers installed to ensure the engine was always in steam and that there was a standby.
“Some of the items on display here were brought from Birchills Canal Museum and some are from volunteer collections. There is a lot of local history connections to what we see here now.
“I like the Heritage Open Days initiative because it brings more people down here to the canalside to take a look round at what is actually here. We used to run a whole week of activities to mark it, but due to a lack of volunteers were unable to do that a the moment. We would appeal to folks looking for a interest or volunteering opportunities to come on board.”
The pumping house off Brasshouse Lane, B66 1BA is open monthly on Saturdays from April to October from 11am-3pm. It will next be open on October 11th. For more details about visits or volunteering contact 0121 556 0683 or museum_learning@sandwell.gov.uk.
This year Heritage Open Days is running until Sunday (September 21) and features scores of attractions including historic stately homes, churches and castles plus exhibitions.
