Stourport Ring


The Stourport Ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit, or canal ring, around Worcestershire, The Black Country and Birmingham in The Midlands, England. The ring is formed from the River Severn, the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the Stourbridge Canal, the Dudley Canals, the Birmingham Canal Navigations and the Worcester and Birmingham Canal.
The ring is 74 miles and includes 105 locks including 3 electrically operated river locks, 2 pairs of staircase locks and 2 broad locks. The route includes flights of locks at Tardebigge, Stourbridge and the Black Delph at Brierley Hill. The route also includes two of the longest navigable tunnels on the UK network, these being the Netherton and Wast Hills Tunnels.
The ring has an alternative longer route via Wolverhampton of 83 miles and 122 locks and does not include the Stourbridge or Dudley canals. This route uses the connection between the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, and the BCN Main Line at Aldersley Junction.
The ring is popular for cruising and has a number of narrowboat hire centres on the route including Alvechurch, Viking Afloat, Anglo-Welsh, Brook Line and Black Prince.
Popular visitor attractions on or close to the Stourport Ring include Cadbury World, The Black Country Living Museum, the Severn Valley Railway, Kinver Edge, the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, Brindleyplace plus the Merry Hill, Bullring and Mailbox shopping centres.
Popular overnight mooring places on the ring include Worcester city centre, Stourport Basin, Wolverley, Kinver, Merry Hill, Windmill End, The Black Country Museum, Gas Street Basin, Hopwood, Stoke Works and Dunhampstead.

List of all locks on the ring with their map references

Based on travelling clockwise and starting at Worcester. Excludes the northern extension.
Lock NumberWaterwayLock NameCoordinatesOS Grid Ref
1River SevernBevere Lock
2Holt Lock
3Lincomb Lock
4/5Staffordshire and Worcestershire CanalStourport basin lower staircase
6/7Stourport basin upper staircase
8Stourport York Street Lock 3
9Falling Sands Lock 4
10Caldwell Lock 5
11Kidderminster Lock 6
12Wolverley Court Lock 7
13Wolverley Lock 8
14Debdale Lock 9
15Whittington Lock 10
16Kinver Lock 11
17Hyde Lock 12
18Stewponey Lock 13
19Stourbridge CanalStourton Bottom Lock
20Stourton Lock
21Stourton Lock
22Stourton Top Lock
23Stourbridge Bottom Lock 16
24Stourbridge Lock 15
25Stourbridge Lock 14
26Stourbridge Lock 13
27Stourbridge Lock 12
28Stourbridge Lock 11
29Stourbridge Lock 10
30Stourbridge Lock 9
31Stourbridge Lock 8
32Stourbridge Lock 7
33Stourbridge Lock 6
34Stourbridge Lock 5
35Stourbridge Lock 4
36Stourbridge Lock 3
37Stourbridge Lock 2
38Stourbridge Top Lock 1
39Dudley Canal Line No. 1Delph Bottom Lock 8
40Delph Lock 7
41Delph Lock 6
42Delph Lock 5
43Delph Lock 4
44Delph Lock 3
45Delph Lock 2
46Delph Top Lock 1
47Blowers Green Lock*
Dudley Canal Line No. 2
Netherton Tunnel Branch Canal
Birmingham New Main Line
48Worcester and Birmingham CanalTardebigge Top Lock No 58*
49Tardebigge Lock No 57
50Tardebigge Lock No 56
51Tardebigge Lock No 55
52Tardebigge Lock No 54
53Tardebigge Lock No 53
54Tardebigge Lock No 52
55Tardebigge Lock No 51
56Tardebigge Lock No 50
57Tardebigge Lock No 49
58Tardebigge Lock No 48
59Tardebigge Lock No 47
60Tardebigge Lock No 46
61Tardebigge Lock No 45
62Tardebigge Lock No 44
63Tardebigge Lock No 43
64Tardebigge Lock No 42
65Tardebigge Lock No 41
66Tardebigge Lock No 40
67Tardebigge Lock No 39
68Tardebigge Lock No 38
69Tardebigge Lock No 37
70Tardebigge Lock No 36
71Tardebigge Lock No 35
72Tardebigge Lock No 34
73Tardebigge Lock No 33
74Tardebigge Lock No 32
75Tardebigge Lock No 31
76Tardebigge Lock No 30
77Tardebigge Bottom Lock No 29
78Stoke Top Lock No 28
79Stoke Lock No 27
80Stoke Lock No 26
81Stoke Lock No 25
82Stoke Lock No 24
83Stoke Prior Bottom Lock No 23
84Astwood Top Lock No 22
85Astwood Lock No 21
86Astwood Lock No 20
87Astwood Lock No 19
88Astwood Lock No 18
89Astwood Bottom Lock No 17
90Offerton Top Lock No 16
91Offerton Lock No 15
92Offerton Lock No 14
93Offerton Lock No 13
94Offerton Lock No 12
95Offerton Bottom Lock No 11
96Tolladine Lock No 10
97Blackpole Lock No 9
98Bilford Top Lock
99Bilford Bottom Lock
100Gregory's Mill Top Lock
101Gregory's Mill Bottom Lock
102Blockhouse Lock No 4
103Sidbury Lock No 3
104Diglis Basin Lock No 2
105Diglis Basin Lock No 1

During spring freshet the Severn can be closed to navigation, making the ring not fully navigable. There is also potential for some sections of the ring being temporarily unnavigable consequent to lack of water during a drought.