 The
Chesterfield Canal leaves the River Trent at West Stockwith.
Alternatively there is a slipway at Tapton Lock in Chesterfield for
trailboats to cruise the currently isolated Chesterfield western
section.
The canal runs for 46 miles through a delightful rural
landscape from the Trent to Chesterfield. It was designed by James
Brindley. Work commenced in 1771 and it was completed in 1777.
The star feature was the Norwood Tunnel; at more than one
and a half miles it was one of the longest canal tunnels in the country.
The frequent use of staircase locks on either side of the tunnel was
remarkable for its time. The restored Thorpe flight of fifteen locks in
just over half a mile won the prestigious Volvo Penta Award for “an
Outstanding Contribution to Conservation and Safety on British Inland
Waterways”. (Photos top and bottom right.) They are all listed
structures and the trip through them from Shireoaks to Kiveton Park is
superb at any time of year. The Norwood tunnel collapsed in 1907 and
Chesterfield has been cut off ever since. The final commercial cargo was
carried in 1956. By this time only 26 miles from the Trent to Worksop
was navigable.
In 1976 the
Chesterfield Canal Society (which became the Trust in 1998) was
formed to promote full restoration; later came the
Chesterfield Canal Partnership. Real progress could now be made.
Between 1996 and 2003 a new marina was built at Shireoaks
and the restoration of seven miles and thirty one locks extended the
head of navigation from Worksop to the Norwood Tunnel. At the isolated
western end five miles and five locks from Chesterfield to Staveley were
made navigable by 2002. Further works are continuing to restore the nine mile
gap. A new terminal canal basin is the centrepiece of a £300 million
complex being built in Chesterfield. The long term aim, is to canalise
the River Rother and make a link with the South Yorkshire Navigation at
Rotherham, thus creating a Three Counties Ring to rival the cruising
rings on the other side of the Pennines.
Thanks to Rod Auton and the
Chesterfield Canal Trust for most of this information and
use of photographs. |
