Lapal Tunnel

Boats originally took about three hours to complete the passage by legging or poling, so in 1841 a steam engine was built at the Halesowen end which drove a scoop wheel to load the tunnel with water.

The canal between Halesowen and Selly Oak is disused and some sections have been filled in as the tunnel was considered uneconomic to repair.

A short un-navigable length remains in the grounds the Leasowes, once a garden belonging to the poet William Shenstone (1714–1763), and now a public park and golf course.

[3] To the north of Halesowen, the canal is in good repair and is used by boats accessing Hawne Basin.

[5] The Lapal Canal Trust aims to restore the un-navigable parts of the Dudley No 2 canal to the tunnel entrance sites at Halesowen and California, from Hawne Basin and Selly Oak They originally aimed to restore the tunnel, but a study in 2007 showed this to be unfeasible.