A new section of Lichfield Canal’s Heritage Towpath Trail has been officially opened.
Canal Walk, stretching 260 yards from the Longbridge Road footpath to Gallows Wharf at London Road, was formally opened by the Mayor of Lichfield, Deborah Baker, and the Sheriff of Lichfield, Dr Daryl Brown.
The ribbon was cut in a socially-distanced ceremony attended by a group of canal restoration volunteers.
The Mayor and Sheriff were presented with paintings of an imagined canal in water by the artist Stuart Sampson, who helps the trust raise funds by offering his work as prizes in a raffle.
A short distance from Canal Walk, a bywash, uncovered several years ago and rebuilt in the original architectural style, has been protected after it became necessary to move the Heritage Towpath Trail to allow for the widening of the canal bed and the demolition of the old Lock 24.
The towpath now goes over the bywash, which has been redesigned by Rick Walters to incorporate a trio of arches reflecting the original design features.
