Jump to content

Derby's long-forgotten canal


Ray T

Featured Posts

Great stuff! Is that near The Station down by The Brunswick?

I wonder how the new development will affect restoration plans?

This is only a short branch/spur off the main line which now has the A6 sat right on top of the original route. I doubt a restoration into the centre will ever happen but the line into Derby from the Erewash looks viable with enough money and spades... as long as you work out how top cross the M1.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is only a short branch/spur off the main line which now has the A6 sat right on top of the original route. I doubt a restoration into the centre will ever happen but the line into Derby from the Erewash looks viable with enough money and spades... as long as you work out how top cross the M1.

 

I've always had doubts about the feasibility of overcoming from Harvey Road onwards especially Canal Street Area. Although the Restoration Group have always been optimistic to the point of Gung Ho about total restoration (no offence implied, I wish it could be)

When you say A6 are you referring to the newish part that goes through Pride Park, because of course it went under the A6 next to the Navigation Pub on the A6?

 

As for that blasted country lane The M1, luckily it's on an embankment at that point, so only needs closing for a while so a tunnel can be bored through. While they're doing that they could also excavate out the entrance to Butterley Tunnel a few miles up where it's now hidden also by The M1 and a scrap yard.

 

After all there's precious few other things screaming out for funding in these times!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is actually part of the Bemrose arm which left the main route at Siddals rd. You can still see remnants of the bridge in Siddals rd. It is interesting to see it still has water in it as the rest of the navigation in that area is totally obliterated and dry.

The car park of the Alexandra Hotel is a good place to view the route of the arm, the keen eyed will pick up the line of buildings which give away the route, theres also a class 37 loco cab in the car park too see too!

 

The following three images are from my film on the Derby Canal and show the Bemrose arm derelict in the mid 1950's.

 

gallery_5000_522_36456.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_43999.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_33332.jpg

 

Edited to add: If the bridge is in Park St it is not shown on any map I have access too, the arm terminated at Bemrose works, hence the name, whether the arm went under Park St is open to discussion.

 

BTW there is also another forgotten navigation in Derby too, the Markeaton Brook of which a substantial portion is still visible.

Edited by Laurence Hogg
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there an overlay map which shows where these arms were?

I didn't realise Markeaton Brook was once a navigation.

 

I found The EE Co Co Cab on Google Earth.

 

I use the NLS site which allows you to vary the overlay on a satellite image, its excellent.

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14&lat=52.5547&lon=-2.3432&layers=10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I've always had doubts about the feasibility of overcoming from Harvey Road onwards especially Canal Street Area. Although the Restoration Group have always been optimistic to the point of Gung Ho about total restoration (no offence implied, I wish it could be)

When you say A6 are you referring to the newish part that goes through Pride Park, because of course it went under the A6 next to the Navigation Pub on the A6?

 

As for that blasted country lane The M1, luckily it's on an embankment at that point, so only needs closing for a while so a tunnel can be bored through. While they're doing that they could also excavate out the entrance to Butterley Tunnel a few miles up where it's now hidden also by The M1 and a scrap yard.

 

After all there's precious few other things screaming out for funding in these times!

The road in question for the Butterley Tunnel is the A38, the tunnel is just north of the A610 interchange by Ripley. It is approximately 5 miles from the M1 at J28. The only canal tunnel I know around the north Midlands area is Norwood on the Chesterfield.

Regards

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The road in question for the Butterley Tunnel is the A38, the tunnel is just north of the A610 interchange by Ripley. It is approximately 5 miles from the M1 at J28. The only canal tunnel I know around the north Midlands area is Norwood on the Chesterfield.

Regards

Dan

You are of course correct, you wouldn't believe I used to live in Swanwick and until 4 years ago I worked in Alfreton. What a Numpty!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is actually part of the Bemrose arm which left the main route at Siddals rd. You can still see remnants of the bridge in Siddals rd. It is interesting to see it still has water in it as the rest of the navigation in that area is totally obliterated and dry.

The car park of the Alexandra Hotel is a good place to view the route of the arm, the keen eyed will pick up the line of buildings which give away the route, theres also a class 37 loco cab in the car park too see too!

 

The following three images are from my film on the Derby Canal and show the Bemrose arm derelict in the mid 1950's.

 

gallery_5000_522_36456.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_43999.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_33332.jpg

 

Edited to add: If the bridge is in Park St it is not shown on any map I have access too, the arm terminated at Bemrose works, hence the name, whether the arm went under Park St is open to discussion.

 

BTW there is also another forgotten navigation in Derby too, the Markeaton Brook of which a substantial portion is still visible.

 

 

 

This is actually part of the Bemrose arm which left the main route at Siddals rd. You can still see remnants of the bridge in Siddals rd. It is interesting to see it still has water in it as the rest of the navigation in that area is totally obliterated and dry.

The car park of the Alexandra Hotel is a good place to view the route of the arm, the keen eyed will pick up the line of buildings which give away the route, theres also a class 37 loco cab in the car park too see too!

 

The following three images are from my film on the Derby Canal and show the Bemrose arm derelict in the mid 1950's.

 

gallery_5000_522_36456.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_43999.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_33332.jpg

 

Edited to add: If the bridge is in Park St it is not shown on any map I have access too, the arm terminated at Bemrose works, hence the name, whether the arm went under Park St is open to discussion.

 

BTW there is also another forgotten navigation in Derby too, the Markeaton Brook of which a substantial portion is still visible.

 

Thanks for these. A school friend of mine ran the Alexandra Hotel for many years which I visited many times without knowing it's canal history.

 

Tim

Edited by Tim Lewis
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Markeaton brook enetered the Derwent where the council house is today, it is culverted.

The Navigation ran along the route of Sadlergate which then was a waterway (Medieval times). Traces can be found behind some buildings in that area of wharfage, also the "bridge" is still named as such although not apparently a bridge.

In the pedestrian part of Jury St remains of warehouse entrances are visible low down in a wall alongside the pavement too.

The Markeaton predates the Derby canal by a long time and was apparently a busy navigation when the Derwent was in Trade, there are suggestions from maps that it had a couple of branches too. The open section still looks like a navigation even still having old steps down onto the wharfage near the footbridge.

 

This is an excavation in Sadlergate some years ago exposing the navigation:

 

gallery_5000_522_72209.jpg

 

And this is St John terrace:

 

gallery_5000_522_8271.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 21/11/2015 at 13:55, Laurence Hogg said:

This is actually part of the Bemrose arm which left the main route at Siddals rd. You can still see remnants of the bridge in Siddals rd. It is interesting to see it still has water in it as the rest of the navigation in that area is totally obliterated and dry.

The car park of the Alexandra Hotel is a good place to view the route of the arm, the keen eyed will pick up the line of buildings which give away the route, theres also a class 37 loco cab in the car park too see too!

 

The following three images are from my film on the Derby Canal and show the Bemrose arm derelict in the mid 1950's.

 

gallery_5000_522_36456.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_43999.jpg

 

gallery_5000_522_33332.jpg

 

Edited to add: If the bridge is in Park St it is not shown on any map I have access too, the arm terminated at Bemrose works, hence the name, whether the arm went under Park St is open to discussion.

 

BTW there is also another forgotten navigation in Derby too, the Markeaton Brook of which a substantial portion is still visible.

Here's the arm.

arm.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Tumbling Bay is where the Derby Canal route crossed the Derwent. There were locks at both sides of the River. Access to Markeaton Brook was complicated once the canal had been made, This did not prevent access to the Brook, however. There were weirs either side of Tumbling Bay and the weir up stream had a lock (flash lock) where Trent Boats might pass through to reach the wharves at/ near the brook. 

 

The canal in order to reach Tumbling Bay from Cockpit Hill canal wharves crossed the mill stream by an iron aqueduct.

 

Attached is a 2nd edition 25 in Ordnance Survey map 

 

Derby.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The remains of the flash lock just downstream of Exeter bridge are visible, or were a couple of years ago. It is a bit of a scramble but the stone work is still there. I remember having a discussion with Ike Argent when he said that he had worked through this, I think to the timber yard just above the bridge. Regards, HughC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Derwent crossing was the site of the first cast iron aqueduct. Von Maillard, whose book on canal building I have just translated, visited this in 1795, and he describes the aqueduct. They seem to have had problems with stability right from the start, and the aqueduct is described as being supported by a wooden framework. At least one of the main cast plates had cracked and had had to be replaced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes William Jessop was responsible for this aqueduct being there in that form. It predates the Tern Aqueduct (Shewsbury Canal) and perhaps influenced Jessop to recommend iron aqueducts at Chirk and Pontcysyllte.. 

 

It would be interesting to see that translation. I wonder if Von Mallard visited the Ellesmere Canal as well? Or did this gentlemen glean his information from other sources ?

 

I also recall a discussion, I had with Ike Argent regarding his various trips on the Derby Canal  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.