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You may have heard about rising sea levels in the news and wondered how this is measured with the sea constantly rising and falling in daily tides. Between 1915 and 1921, scientists measured the tides in Newlyn, Cornwall and calculated an average figure which they set at zero. This became known as ‘sea level’, and from this they measured how far above (or below) all the land in the country, and later the world lies. The highest point in the world, Mount Everest is more than 8,800 metres above sea level (asl), and the lowest, the Mariana Trench is more than 10,900 metres below sea level. In England, the highest point is Scafell Pike in the Lake District at 978 metres asl.
Although it doesn’t have big hills like some places in England, compared to other cities the whole of Birmingham is quite high above sea level. Traditionally, a city’s cathedral is built on the highest ground. In Birmingham St Philips is almost 140 metres asl. Newcastle Upon Tyne’s cathedral is about 30 metres asl, and both York Minster and St Paul’s in London about 15 metres asl.
As you travel around the number 11 route, notice how the roads go up and down hill. In nearly all cases, at the bottom of every hill, in the valley, there will be water of some kind – a river, stream or pool, or even just wet ground. The largest river in Birmingham is the Tame which begins as small streams to the west of Birmingham in Willenhall, Wolverhampton and Oldbury, flows downhill through Sandwell Valley and eastwards through north Birmingham towards the lower ground at Coleshill. The number 11 bus crosses the River Tame near the junction with Bromford Road and Wolseley Drive (see the low brick wall of the bridge either side of the road). This is the lowest point of the bus route at 82 metres above sea level – about the same height above sea level as the river Derwent south of the Peak District in Derbyshire.
The artefact displayed above is a plan from 1811 is titled “The present Watercourses to Bromford Works in the Parish of Aston in the County of Warwick, shewing (showing) Improvements that may be made”. It shows details of the River Tame, River Rea, the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, Erdington Hall, field boundaries, roads, and local landowners.