In 1858 the Birmingham Canal Navigations Co. opened up the Cannock Extension Canal from Pelsall Junction (SK 019044) on the Wyrley and Essington Canal striking almost due north through Norton Canes where extensive docks were built just south of the A5 (SK 020068), to Little Norton, just behind the modern Apex Business Park (SK 020079) and thenceforth to the Rumer Hill Junction (SJ 992089), which now lies beneath the southern end of the Landfill Site beside the A460 Eastern Way Bypass in the southern part of Cannock. By 1863 the Cannock Extension Canal was extended northwards to Prospect Place (SJ 998113) just south of the East Cannock Colliery, the place now occupied by the Beechwood Business Park. The final length of the Cannock Extension Canal was just under 5¾ miles, but all of the canal lying to the north of the A5, a total length of just under 4¼ miles, was abandoned in 1963, although the southern section of just over 1¾ miles still remains and was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2000 (see below). Another branch canal, the Churchbridge Branch, ran south-westwards from the Cannock Extension Canal at the Rumer Hill Junction (SJ 992089) via 13 locks to the Hatherton Canal at Churchbridge Junction (SJ 985082); the branch fell into disuse in 1958 and the site of the Churchbridge Junction itself has recently been obliterated by the building of the M6 Toll Road. (HCS, Vol.14, pp.195-205; OS; WIKI)
The Cannock Extension Canal SSSI stretches for just over 1½ miles (c.2.5km) from the Wyrley and Essington Canal in the south to a point just short of the Watling Street in the north, this terminus lying just ½-mile south of Norton Canes and about 1¾ miles east of Great Wyrley. The remnants of the canal, which once ran north-west 5¾ miles to the Rumer Hill Junction outside Cannock, sustains a diverse collection of aquatic plantlife consisting of 34 distinct species, which is the richest flora of the entire canal system in the West Midlands and Staffordshire. The most important member of this ecosystem is floating water-plantain, which is on the European endangered species list but may be found along the entire length of the Cannock Extension Canal. Other rare species include flowering-rush, arrowhead, shining pondweed, perfoliate pondweed, spiked water-milfoil, curled pondweed and narrow-leaved water-plantain. The canal towpath on the western bank sustains common spotted-orchid and greater birdsfoot trefoil among extensive stands of reed sweet-grass and branched bur-reed, with the occasional cluster of Yellow iris and yellow loosestrife. The brick edges of the eastern canal bank house a number of interesting and uncommon species of plant growing out of the brickwork, including hemlock waterdropwort, skullcap, fairy flax and water dock, completing the picture of this site's specialised flora. The canal also supports at least nine species of dragonfly including the red-eyed damselfly and the emperor dragonfly which is here at the northernmost limit of its range in Britain. (www.English-Nature.org.uk)