Next Burst Of Restoration Work On The Chesterfield Canal

[cheshire~rose]

It appears there is a fresh burst of progress with the restoration on The Chesterfield Canal. Work has been progressing through the winter on Staveley Town Lock (the one so many of you kindly helped to happen with the "Brick Campaign"

 

This month will see a lot more activity. Dates are provisional:

 

On Tuesday 8th April, contractors will be doing a 100 cubic metre concrete pour on the wing walls by Staveley Town Lock tailbridge.

Anyone interested in the progress of the lock build can follow this link:

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/gallery/photos/494-staveley-town-lock.

 

But it is starting to look a lot like a lock!

 

On Friday 11th April, contractors will be installing Constitution Hill Bridge deck at 9.00 a.m. This is the bridge that was worked on by WRG. Local people have been looking forward to being able to get access across the canal at this point again.

 

Photo coutesy of David France

 

 

On Friday 25th April, our Work Party will be doing another concrete pour at Staveley Town Lock.

 

Meanwhile, contractors are currently clearing out the channel at Renishaw and will then repair the leaks (there is no set date for rewatering this section yet)

 

Work has also started on the first houses at the Waterside development in Chesterfield. The development of this area is based upon the restoration being completed and the 8 remaining miles all being joined up so boats can get right into Chesterfield and moor in a basin there.

 

As if all that is not enough... the fund raising continues to ensure we can keep up the pace with the restoration.

 

Who remembers Dave Berry? (now come on... I know a lot of you are old enough to remember him)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c9W2-uGvQQ The Crying Game

 

Dave Berry is cycling the full length of the canal (46 miles) on 15th of April (it has been posponed from the original date of the 8th)

 

If you feel you would like to help ensure the pace of restoration keeps going you can sponsor him for as little as £1 (or multiples of) by following this link:

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/shopping/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=85

 

I will post some links and pictures of the new bits as they become available.

 

Thanks to all the forum members who have helped all this happen by donating money or items to be sold. Hopefully seeing all this progress helps people realise just how worthwhile their input no matter how small really does make a difference.

 

[cheshire~rose]

Of course if anyone does wish to buy a brick they are still available here:

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/shopping/index.php?route=product/category&path=36

 

£5 each .. and if you are able to gift aid they are worth even more!

[peterboat]

Yes it is going well I walk it often with the dog and drive past it 6 times a week. The Chesterfield is a lovely canal much nicer than the S & SYN I will tell Jayne about Dave Berry I think it is a relative of hers

 

Peter

[cheshire~rose]

Derbyshire County Council press release:

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/latest-news/closing-the-gap/558-work-to-develop-the-next-phase-of-staveley-basin-underway-

 

Staveley Basin has begun the next phase of its development with contractors beginning work to build wing walls to support its lock bridge.

We manage the project and have agreed to fund £89,000 towards the scheme with Chesterfield Canal Trust contributing £76,000 in funds and volunteer time.

Ace Developments from Chesterfield has started an eight week contract to build the wing walls which will support the unfinished lock bridge already in place which will carry a road over the canal.

The Staveley Basin project is part of work being completed with the help of volunteers to restore and improve Chesterfield Canal making more of the waterway navigable.

The project has already seen the development of a mooring basin which can house up to 20 large canal boats and 12 smaller crafts.

Councillor Joan Dixon, our Cabinet Member for Jobs, Economy and Transport said "This latest work on the Staveley Basin project is part of plans to help develop Chesterfield Canal as well as improve the area for visitors and boats. The work of the volunteers helping us to develop the project has been fantastic and we cannot thank them enough."

Groups who have been involved in helping the project include the Chesterfield Canal Partnership and the Waterway Recovery Group.

Chesterfield Canal Trust which has also been helping since 2012 has raised over £45,000 towards the project through donations.

A group of around 15 volunteers from the trust meet every Sunday to help build the lock at Staveley Basin.

George Bunting, 65, from Brimington has been a member of the trust since 1995 and is currently helping with construction. He said "The main benefits of the work at Staveley Basin will be the boost it gives tourism with people who come in on boats hopefully spending money in Staveley. The thing I most enjoy about volunteering is the camaraderie and the idea that we are achieving something for the local community and leaving something for future generations."

 

(The piece I have highlighted I did because I know that a large number of CWDF members did a great deal to add to that fund and I want to make sure that each and everyone of you that did that realises just how important their contribution is and how much it is appreciated. Hopefully seeing pictures like these of the progress helps you to realise that the money YOU gave really did make a difference)

 

The official press release can be seen here for those that are interested.:

http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news_events/news-updates/2014/april/work_to_develop_the_next_phase_of_staveley_basin_underway.asp

 

This was the site in December. The concrete structure is the bridge over the tail of the lock. The area in the foreground had to be cleared and retaining walls built on either side of the bridge

 

 

The diggers started in the last week in March. (Photo by George Bunting)

 

 

Having cleared the area, hardcore was laid (Photo by George Bunting)

 

 

..... so that an initial layer of concrete could be put down. (Photo by George Bunting)

 

 

The steel reinforcement for the apron being laid until a complete lattice has been built up

 

 

On 8th April, the concrete started to arrive

 

 

Half the apron has already been smoothed off. The next pour will be for the wing walls; you can see the upright steelwork where they will go

[Athy]

Good progress, thanks for the report and for the photos.

Nice to see Brimington mentioned - my late father was born and bred there and my cousin still lives there.

 

Amusing to see "Staveley" and "tourism" in the same sentence - at least to those of us who remember Staveley Works in full cry (I hear that it/ they has/ have been knocked down now). A place of billowing smoke and mighty clangour - though they did have some very nice vintage Midland Railway shunting locomotives. I hope one or two have survived.

[cheshire~rose]

Yes, Stavely has been a very industrial and (with the demise of the industry) depressed area for a long time but a canal can change all that! That is one reason why the people of the area made their voices heard loud and clear when HS2 decided they would try and ride roughshod over "their canal" Time will tell what notice HS2 are taking of the strength of very emotive feeling that was shown by the local people. They have watched the restoration very closely over the last few years and seeing so much money and effort being poured into improving their town in this way certainly gives people a pride in their area.

 

Staveley is only a very short distance from Barrow Hill. Hollingwood Hub (Chesterfield Canal Trust's HQ) is just half a mile away. Barrow Hill Roundhouse is stuffed full of wonderful old locomotives, steam and diesel. I have no idea if they still have any of the engines you remember?

 

http://www.barrowhill.org/

 

It is a very popular attraction and many visitors to the canal will combine it with a visit to Barrow Hill. Once the two ends of the canal get joined up (8 miles to go) I think boaters will be planning a stop there to visit just as they plan in a stop to The Severn Valley Railway when they are on the Staffs & Worcs or The Churnet Valley when they are on The Caldon and so on. The good thing about Barrow Hill is that is is all joined up with the network and so they get regular visits from some really wonderful engines. We have been a few times and will be back again!

[Naughty Cal]

Is there any idea how long it will take to fully reconnect the two ends of the Chesterfield?

[cheshire~rose]

Is there any idea how long it will take to fully reconnect the two ends of the Chesterfield?

 

Around 18 months ago those who know about these things took stock of what needs to be done and compared it with what had been achieved in the last decade and they realised that if they could keep up the same pace then it could all be joined up in another 10 years! Of course that was reliant on a lot of things - the volunteers remaing as commited and active as they have been, people continuing to support the restoration both financially and in spirit and a lot of campaigning involving local authorites and big companies and land owners etc.

 

Then just over a year ago HS2 released their plan and it kind of stopped a lot of things in their tracks. (excuse the pun!) HS2 interects with the line of the restoration in no fewer than five places. It has efectively caused a planning blight on large sections of the area and caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of grants that were already agreed and at the time that HS2 released their proposals were due to drop into the relevant bank accounts.

Until it is known what HS2's final plans are there are large sections of the line of the restoration that hang in limbo. It is hoped that if HS2 stick with their original planned line they will take into account the canal and maybe even restore some chunks of it for us when they build their railway - but as everyone knows there is a doubt about whether it will actually ever be built and so while doubt exists the restoration in those areas is at a standstill.

 

The Trust regrouped, fought their corner with HS2 and have now turned their attention to the bits that are not affected by Hs2 and deciding what progress they can make there. Everyone knows that there is a lot of work done on a computer before anyone sticks a shovel in the ground to restore anything. The sad thing is that all that admin work has been done on the bits that are now in an HS2 limbo. Now there will be a period of what may appear to be inactivity while the admin is done for the other areas. That is why it feels so good to see progress happening somewhere!

 

 

Oh and Athy - The Duke of Devonshire has an outline plan to develop the area behind Hollingwood and along the line of the canal which you will remember as being industrial. His plans look amazing and include a marina. That shows a lot of confidence when it is on a stretch of canal that is not (yet) connected.

You may also be interested in this:

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/latest-news/closing-the-gap/557-meeting-about-housing-developments-behind-hollingwood-hub

 

These people want to put 500 homes on the site. It is unlikely to please The Duke as on his plan that area is parkland! Watch this space though - developers that want to buld that many homes often have to do something to improve the area as part of the deal ... and there is a canal next door that could use some help!

[Athy]

Thanks again Chesh. barrow Hill roundhouse? I went round it with my Dad when it was still a working BR steam depot - my Uncle Jesse was a guard on goods trains and was based there.

research shows that one of the Staveely engines has indeed been preserved, Remarkably, several of these Victorian machines worked at Staveley until as late as 1966, and I have just found out why. In 1866, the Midland Railway signed a contract to supply motive power for shunting the Works' railway sidings for 100 years - so ex-Midland engines had to be used! Hence these elderly long-funnelled things kept chuffing around Staveley years after the rest of their class had been sent to the scrapyard.

[cheshire~rose]

Today there is yet more progress:

 

 

The new bridge deck in place at Constitution Hill, Staveley. Picture coutesy of "Derbyshire Countryside"

 

In March 2011it was just a narrow on a section of canal without water:

 

 

Then WRG got busy:

 

 

Then the work party of The Chesterfield Canal finished off the abutments

 

 

On August 1st 2013 this was finished

 

 

Today the deck was craned into place. It is not open to the public yet but will be very soon. Once the canal is joined up this will be a very popular bridge for boaters to use - it is right next to Morrisons (who very kindly stored the bricks in their compound for the trust during the build) There will be many a boater trudging across there with shopping bags full to restock their cupboards before they set off on the last leg of the the trip to what will be the new terminus in Chesterfield Town Centre.

 

The full story of this bridge build can be read here:

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/gallery/photos/445-constitution-hill-bridge

[Athy]

Splendid - I realise that it's only one step (no pun intended) but it's a very visible step which local people will notice, and which will help give the impression that the canal is really progressing.

[cheshire~rose]

Chesterfield Canal Trust have now got their website updated with lots of pictures of the deck being craned into place (and out again because it needed a bit of fettling!) you can see the full story here:

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/latest-news/closing-the-gap/559-constitution-hill-bridge-deck-fitted

 

This is the bridge it replaced:

 

 

The best picture they have

 

I love this photo:

 

 

Mill Green bridge is 238 years old and in the distance is the new bridge just one hour old!

[cheshire~rose]

The progress continues at Stavely Town Lock:

 

read the full article here:

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/latest-news/closing-the-gap/563-concrete-and-more-concrete

 

On Friday there were two separate concrete pour at the lock.

 

 

Our Volunteer Work Party started the first pour into the lock walls at 7 a.m.

 

 

Meanwhile, Ace Developments, the firm contracted by Derbyshire County Council to build the wing walls, were preparing the second wing wall for a pour of their own

 

 

 

By now, the lock pour was over. There will have to be many more layers of bricks and pours before it is complete.
This concrete cost about £4500. It was paid for out of our Staveley Town Lock Concrete Fund. To read more and make a donation, click here.

 

An overview of the site:

[Mendip-Locks]

Thanks for these updates Cheshire - Rose really enjoying seeing this all come together.

I suppose before concrete all the back fill on locks was stone?

Thanks for posting.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Mendip-Locks

[cheshire~rose]

The reason for there needing to be so much concrete is because the land where this lock is being build was formerley an open cast mine and so the ground has been disturbed a lot in recent history.

 

I think I am correct in saying that it would have historically have been brick or stone but certainly no where near as thick as the surveyors have suggested was required for this lock.

 

What is very promising is that Derbysire County Council have recently published their vision for the waterways of Derbyshire and they are pushing ahead to try and get as much of The Chesterfield Canal in water as possible If you add to that the rumours of there being a possibility of some good news about The Rother Link on the horizon it is all looking incrediblyt positive despite HS2's attempt to bury the canal. They do not seem to want to communicate with us at present so in the absence of any discussion about the railway and the prospect of it dragging on for years I think we might even get this canal restored before HS2 get their railway built!

[Pluto]

Some of the original locks on the Chesterfield had wooden vertical posts built into the lock walls, which seems to have been one way of strengthening the walls, given that they brickwork was not that thick. Another possibility is that it would have allowed some movement, given that there was quite a lot of mining in close proximity to the canal at the time of its construction. However, the locks did have brick inverts forming the lock floor, unlike some other canals built in the 1770s where wooden floors were used. There are still some wooden floors surviving on the eastern end of the L&LC.

[cheshire~rose]

Yes Pluto,

 

when they widened Morse lock last year they uncovered (and had to remove) some of the original timbers that had been being the brickwork for all those years.

 

CRT very kindly donated it to The Trust so it can be used to make presentation plaques or something similar in future. A very nice touch as in years gone by BW would probably have just burned it!

[Pluto]

CRT very kindly donated it to The Trust so it can be used to make presentation plaques or something similar in future. A very nice touch as in years gone by BW would probably have just burned it!

Not necessarily so, as there were some BW employees who were very interested in heritage aspects of the canals. I was invited to look at, and comment on, some Chesterfield locks in 1998 as they were concerned about the historic lock structures at the time, and there have been other places where they recorded what was the original structure, such as on the River Kennet. The structural replacements were sometimes not done in the best way, though financial restrictions did, and still do, cause corners to be cut.

[cheshire~rose]

Yes I am sorry, I did not mean to tar all with the same brush. I do think that awareness about heritage has come on leaps and bounds in recent years but now, with CRT at the helm it is their interests to prove they are doing what they can to preserve heritage and it has made a difference on the ground.