Camp Hill Top Lock Winding Hole
Camp Hill Top Lock Winding Hole is a complicated waterways junction.
The Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal) was built by John Longbotham and opened on 17 September 1835. "A Very Special Boat" by Peter Wright describes an early passage through the waterway, especially that of Sunderland Cutting.
Early plans for the Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal: widened section - Main Line) between Eastley and Wirral were proposed by John Rennie but languished until John Smeaton was appointed as chief engineer in 1888. In 1905 the Ambersbury and Trafford Canal built a branch to join at Teignbridge. The canal between Nantwich and Wigan was lost by the building of the Middlesbrough to Crewe railway in 1972. In his autobiography Barry Yates writes of his experiences as a lock-keeper in the 1960s

Mooring here is tolerable (it's just about possible if really necessary). The site is secured by a C&RT key. The C&RT guide states "moorings" but is full of BW boats / hulk / liveaboard. Very quiet (Sunday), even the trains were not disturbing. Good satellite picture. Services no longer available.
You can wind here.
| Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Camp Hill Locks Winding Hole | ¼ furlongs | |
| Camp Hill Lock No 54 | ¼ furlongs | |
| Camp Hill Railway Bridges Nos 91C and 91B | ¼ furlongs | |
| Camp Hill Lock No 53 | ¼ furlongs | |
| Camp Hill Top Lock Railway Viaduct | a few yards | |
| Camp Hill Top Lock No 52 | a few yards | |
| Camp Hill Top Lock Winding Hole | ||
| Grand Union Canal (Warwick and Birmingham Canal: widened section - Main Line) | ||
| Camp Hill Top Lock Winding Hole | ||
| Jenkins Street Bridge No 91 | 1¾ furlongs | |
| Small Heath Corporation Wharf Basin | 4¾ furlongs | |
| Anderton Road Bridge No 90 | 5¼ furlongs | |
| Golden Hillock Bridge No 89 | 6¼ furlongs | |
| BSA Basin Towpath Bridge No 88G | 1 mile, 1½ furlongs | |
We moored here (on the water point - naughty, naughty) after a
major breakdown, nobody complained; the canal is little used.
BW says washing machines get nicked. Visitors seem to moor on the
lock layby and not the island.
- Grand Union Canal Walk — associated with Grand Union Canal
- An illustrated walk along the Grand Union Canal from London to Birmingham
Mouseover for more information or show routes to facility
Nearest water point
In the direction of Budbrooke Junction
In the direction of Proof House Junction
Nearest rubbish disposal
In the direction of Budbrooke Junction
In the direction of Proof House Junction
Nearest chemical toilet disposal
In the direction of Budbrooke Junction
In the direction of Proof House Junction
Nearest place to turn
In the direction of Budbrooke Junction
In the direction of Proof House Junction
Nearest self-operated pump-out
In the direction of Budbrooke Junction
In the direction of Proof House Junction
Nearest boatyard pump-out
In the direction of Budbrooke Junction
In the direction of Proof House Junction
There is no page on Wikipedia called “Camp Hill Top Lock Winding Hole”


![Turning into the basin. A narrowboat negotiates the easy turn into a basin and rest stop on the Grand Union, adjacent to the warehouses in [[2648434]], which in turn lie off Sampson Road North in Sparkbrook. by Richard Law – 24 July 2014](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/04/14/64/4146456_68f28c84_120x120.jpg)
![Narrowboat approaching Camp Hill top lock [no 52]. The first lock since the top of the Knowle flight, eleven miles away. Further south the Grand Union canal has wide locks, but they are all narrow in Birmingham. by Christine Johnstone – 03 June 2025](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/08/08/40/8084047_98935387_120x120.jpg)

![Canal warehouses near Camp Hill, Birmingham. Grand Union Canal (formerly Warwick and Birmingham Canal).Above Camp Hill Top Lock No 52. Off to the right is a basin and short arm, where a modern sanitary station can be used by boat crews. There is no access to it from the lock or towpath (even for pedestrians); you must navigate round to it. The site was formerly a depot for the B & W Canal; this is the northern terminus for boats wider than seven feet in beam.Dr Clifton's 1977 image: [[[462682]]] by Roger D Kidd – 21 August 2012](https://s2.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/14/29/3142938_5e971b3e_120x120.jpg)





![Bordesley Junction. This is one of the sharp bends referred to in [[1591940]]. CrossCountry trains use the junction to get into Birmingham New Street from the Snow Hill line and vice versa. On the left the line is crossing part of the Small Heath Highway gyratory near Bordesley Circus. by Robin Stott – 04 December 2009](https://s3.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/60/89/1608927_98fd39ef_120x120.jpg)






![Bordesley Railway Junction, Birmingham. In the early 80's trains from Stratford Upon Avon and Leamington Spa regularly terminated at Birmingham New Street to connect with services elsewhere. To do so, it was necessary to take the sharp turns through Bordesley Junction, and St Andrews Junction before reaching the eastern approaches to New Street [[1608927]].Bordesley was once a major marshalling yards. This photo shows a defunct goods yard building (on left), Camp Hill elevated section, (route to Moseley and Kings Heath) and the city skyline in the background. The church you can see is Holy Trinity Church, just off the A41 roundabout.The Great Western Railway route from Birmingham south was once 4 tracks at this point, and all the way to Tyseley. Bordesley station, just beyond the elevated section, was principally open at this time on Saturdays for Blues fans to commute from. by Michael Westley – July 1981](https://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/59/19/1591940_50d5e4ae_120x120.jpg)








![Sampson Road Wharf near Sparkbrook, Birmingham. The short arm adjacent to Camp Hill Top Lock, and the nearby warehouses were formerly a depot for the Warwick and Birmingham Canal. This was the northern limit for wider boats, traffic continuing to Birmingham being limited to a beam of seven feet. Currently the venue is used by a modern boat crew's sanitary station (off to the right). This cannot be accessed from the towpath side of the canal or the lock itself.[[[3145886]]] by Roger D Kidd – 21 August 2012](https://s1.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/03/14/58/3145881_1a74a110_120x120.jpg)


