Industrial Heritage

Inclined planes revolutionised cargo transport on the many canals and waterways of England in the late 18th Century, although few people know that the first successful inclined plane in Britain was designed and built in Ketley. Historian Neil Clarke showed me how it might have looked.

Designed by local engineer, William Reynolds, Ketley Inclined Plane quickly became the sensation of modern industry upon its opening in 1788, and was admired by national figures such as Thomas Telford, and James Watt junior. At 59 yards in length, it spanned the steep slope between the upper, and lower sections of the Oakengates to Ketley canal.

At its peak it made 24 hauls of cargo per hour, vastly increasing the productivity of the Ketley ironworks. This monumental success prompted construction of a further five inclined planes in this area alone.

All that remains of Ketley's incline

Today, there is virtually no visible evidence that this revolutionary piece of engineering ever existed in Ketley, and only one or two choice artefacts and history books are testament to its memory.

Being a Ketley local all my life, I couldn't resist the idea that what should be a national heritage site, is now a housing estate, was somehow appropriate for film treatment.