Great Northern Basin

Thursday, 02 September 2010 17:26

The old Nottingham Canal meets the Cromford Canal

We are moored on the Cromford Canal, in the Great Northern Basin (GNB), and the sun has certainly got his hat on to welcome us to this very interesting canal location.

Some of the visitor moorings in the Great Northern Basin

The old Nottingham Canal enters the basin from the south, almost parallel with the Erewash Canal - as one local we spoke to called them: the "top cut" and the "bottom cut".

Nottingham Canal  with the Great Northern Pub behind

The main Derby Road crosses both the Cromford and Nottingham Canals just below Langley Bridge Lock. The ECPDA were given the choice of which canal the bridge would block. As the lock was there it made sense to keep the link to the Erewash open.

So the Nottingham Canal basin and moorings for narrowboats was created. Over the road, the line of the canal has been in-filled.

The Swing Bridge (36) is the last bridge before the Nottingham Canal enters the GNB. This link will take you to an old photo of the junction - clickety click

Swing Bridge (still in use and strong enough to take traffic)

The Toll Office still stands beside it

There are visitor moorings in the basin. A working boatyard, Langley Mill Boatyard, is more or less on the site of the old Beggarlee Wharf and associated buildings for the loading and unloading of coal. Clickety click for an old photo.

The Cromford Canal has gradually been restored for a short length by the ECPDA and is presently used for long term moorings.

Large barge at boatyard and beginning of long term moorings

The barge in the photo will never cruise away down the Erewash, as it will not pass under the low bridges - something the private owner who built it here did not think of. Apparently he has now just abandoned the boat!

The end of the moorings are about a quarter of a mile from the GNB and the end is fenced off while work is on-going to extend the Cromford further. At the moment it is blocked beyond by a bypass bridge.

The Cromford Canal continues

Some of the Cromford has been restored from the head of navigation. William Jessop and Benjamin Outram worked together to create a fourteen and a half mile long canal to serve the coal mines, quarries, lead works and Arkwright's Cotton Mill at Cromford. The canal had 3 aqueducts, four tunnels and 14 locks. It opened in 1794, having cost twice the estimated budget!

The history and so much more can be found on the Friends of Cromford Website - clickety click

If you fancy a walk along the Cromford Canal have a look at this - clickety click

I don't think this boat plans on cruising the Cromford Canal, even when it is all eventually restored! It reminded me of the College houseboats on the Thames.

Houseboat