Year:
1900
 During the construction of the
Dudley Number 2 Canal in the late
eighteenth century dressed stone
from the castle was used to build
some of the bridges along the canal,
whilst the moat was used as a tipping
ground for spoil removed during
the excavation of the cutting for
the canal.
The canal itself is visible on
the First Edition Ordnance
Map to the north (above) the
site of the castle. It was originally
constructed to link the Dudley
Number 1 Canal with the Worcester
and Birmingham Canal. It was a
contour canal and took the flattest
route possible to link the two
which meant that there was no need
for any locks along the route.
 It runs for around 11 miles,
and incorporates the famous Lapal
Tunnel, which is the 4th longest
canal tunnel ever constructed in
Britain. Unfortunately, it was
due to the collapse of this tunnel
in 1912 that the canal was closed.
Today the canal is visible as an
earthwork, and several bridges
serve to act as reminders of its
glory days when it was used to
transport the coal and bricks that
helped to build the UK’s
industrial heartland.
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