Hay Inclined Plane

When we visited Blists Hill the first thing we did was to find the Shropshire Canal and walk along the towpath to the Hay Inclined Plane. Just in front of us as we walked along was a man in Victorian dress, who turned out to be the "guide" for those who found their way to the plane and wanted to find out more about it. After a promising start the canal quickly turned into a weedy swamp. Our guide explained that the water level had been lowered so as to minimise problems with leakage. I suppose if there's no water it can't leak anywhere!


The inclined plane was used to raise tub boats such as the one below - about 20 feet by six feet with a capacity of about five tons - from a short (half-mile) section of canal at Coalport by the river Severn to the level of the Shropshire Canal about 200 feet higher.


At the upper level boats would be floated onto wheeled cradles which were then hauled up a short slope on rails, before being let down in a controlled descent of the plane to the canal at the bottom, where they would float off. The purpose of the short slope in the "wrong" direction at the top was to keep the water in the upper canal.


Looking in the opposite direction, down the incline, many of the original rails have been replaced with more modern ones so as to give an impression of what it looked like when working.


At the bottom the rails just disappear into the water. The house by the steps is now a lovely tea room.


The traffic was mainly loaded tub boats, carrying cast iron, coal and clay, going downhill, pulling up empty tub boats as they went. A steam engine was built in the engine house (below) to assist in the operation, replacing a horse gin.


During the life of the inclined plane a railway was built passing underneath (this is now the Silkin Way). Now a bump (which my photos don't show) in the plane reveals how the strong foundations for the bridge have held up the track above, while the rest has subsided a little. The sides of the gorge are, we were told, constantly on the move.


The canal at Coalport with a bottle kiln from the china factory. Goods were transhipped to barges or trows to be taken down the Severn.


Next time, how the Hay Inclined Plane shouldn't really have been built.

edited to add: Much useful information about the Shropshire Canal, its inclines and tub boats can be found here.