Here is Wheaton Aston taken from one inch hand one inch Old
Series sheet 62 NW first printed in 1834. The Shropshire Union
canal (marked Junction) runs diagonally across from top
middle to the bottom right hand side of the extract but Wheaton
Aston lock is not marked. This is because the Birmingham and
Liverpool Junction canal as it was originally called was not
opened until 1835 the year after the map was first printed. This
extract is from the 1837 reprint which added the Grand Junction
Railway (opened 1837) which ran through Stafford and Penkridge
to Wolverhampton. The canal was built at the end of the canal
era and at the start of the railway era which was to eventually
to kill off canal transport. In its construction it used the railway
technology - long straights with huge cuttings and embankments
and locks in groups with standard falls. This is in contrast to
the earlier contour canals which meandered all over the place
and had locks at random intervals and falls.
The symbol for Wheaton Aston Mill can be seen to the south of
the centre of the village. The Mill burnt down in 1906.
It is interesting to compare this with the Geological map of Wheaton Aston which uses the same base map. The main difference is that the hachures on this version are very crisp whereas the ones on the geological map are faint - most likely worn away from numerous printings.