The old Nottingham Canal

Saturday, 04 September 2010 17:17

The Northern section

The Northern section of the Nottingham Canal has been culverted, built on and in-filled. For the history of this canal go to either our blog - clickety click or a more comprehensive read is The Lenton Times - clickety click

Below is the Nottingham Canal seen from Langley Bridge, as it joins the Cromford Canal at the Great Northern Basin

Canal, now moorings

It is possible to walk the line of the old canal from Langley Bridge to Wollaton, a short walk (blue line) and back from Shipley Lock on the Erewash or a longer walk down to Cotmanhay (blue and red line). The map (albeit damaged) shows the two walks

Nottingham Canal storyboard map

Gill and I walked the blue route yesterday and here are some photos I took along the way.

In-filled canal (Anchor Rd) from Langley Mill Bridge

We came to a bridge over the old line. This road leads to a bridge 26 over the Erewash, but as you can see, the arch is full of undergrowth in the old canal

Brick accommodation bridge from south west

We walked south from this bridge and the old canal becomes a wet ditch, which gradually opens out until it is obviously a "cut", but much overgrown.

Canal bed full of bullrushes

A little further on there is a newly constructed  weir and the undergrowth has been trampled down, clearly showing water. Not much was flowing down the weir though!

Geoff and Gill's dog, Barnaby, investigates!

We came to another swing bridge, which was not in such good condition as the one here in the Great Northern Basin. It appears to lead to a farm track, but with a little imagination it was easy to see what the canal could look like if it was still in use.

Swing bridge ahead

Looking north from the swing bridge

Disappointingly, the canal is soon culverted under a minor road and beyond this it is in-filled again, with a path on the old line. I am reliably informed by Geoff, who walked the red route today,that there are some more small sections still in water

The line of the canal continues

View back north towards the swing bridge; only a narrowboat missing!

Gill and I turned down the road towards the Erewash Canal at this point and crossed over the River Erewash, at what must have been a wharf at one time. There are some old warehouse-like buildings here and some modern buildings being built among them.

Timber framed warehouse (note the "mod cons"!)

Warehouse and river

We found ourselves back at Shipley Lock, so we had come a fair way. It was a pleasant walk back along the towpath, via Eastwood Lock and thence back to Langley Mill Bridge. Then we were back at the lock up to the Great Northern Basin.