The Derby Canal ran 14 miles (23 km) from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England. The canal gained its Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 1796. The canal's main cargo was coal.
The Derby Canal ran 14 miles (23 km) from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England. The canal gained its Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 1796. The canal's main cargo was coal.
The Bill was passed by Parliament in 1793 by a narrow majority in the face of strong opposition from the Trent &Mersey and the Erewash Canal owners who had a scheme of their own.
Work commenced with the Little Eaton branch and the gangway, followed by the Sandiacre line. This began with a small basin under what is now St. Alkmund's Way, proceeding eastwards following a line south of the Nottingham Road. A short branch from the basin led via Phoenix lock to the river above a weir at St. Michaels Bridge, which gave access to the Darley Abbey mills.
The Sandiacre line followed the course of the old Nottingham Road with two locks near Borrowash, through Draycott and Breaston, now the A6005, a distance of nine miles. The Little Eaton line branched northwards at the boundary of the racecourse, passing to the east of Chester Green, parallel to and east of the present day railway. These were completed in 1795, the first load of coal from Denby being distributed to the poor of Derby.
Work then began on the crossing of the Derwent, followed by the line out to Swarkestone. From the small weir mentioned above a canal led through what is now Darwin Place to the Derwent Basin above the weir in the river which still exists behind the Council House, downstream of the Exeter Bridge. A timber causeway was built on trestles for use as the towpath. The weir also contained a culvert which transferred water between two branches, a distance of about a quarter of a mile.
From the basin the canal fell into a lock before crossing the mill race (which still runs beside Bass's Recreation Ground) by way of the cast-iron aqueduct arriving at Gandy's Wharf roughly where the Cockpit island is now.
It followed the line of the mill race before passing behind what became the Locomotive Works (now Pride Park), before turning sharply southwards towards Chellaston via the two Shelton locks. It joined the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone Bridge, a distance from Derby of five and a half miles. A short extension led on to the River Trent and all was complete by early 1796.
The Holmes Aqueduct proved to be extremely troublesome. Aqueducts up to that time had been made of stone, but several short arches would have been necessary, causing obstruction to the flow of the stream. The 44ft-long single span cast iron structure that Outram devised, and completed in 1796, was the first of its kind, it was completed earlier in the year 1796 than the structure by Thomas Telford at Longdon upon Tern on the Shrewsbury Canal.
In 1802 there was a partial failure, probably due to the sides bowing and transferring too much weight to the base where they joined to the deck. After remedial work it failed again in 1812 and was reinforced with timber baulks.Although plans were prepared for replacement in stone, it survived until 1930, when it collapsed again to be shored up once more.
In 1817 the link to the Trent and Mersey canal was closed due to its lack of financial success. The reason for this failure was that the Trent and Mersey canal had been charging tolls at extortionate rates on boats using the link.
By the mid 19th century the canal was in trouble. Competition from the railways had resulted in several neighbouring canals being sold off which had in turn reduced the level of through traffic. However the canal company did continue. In 1908 the Little Eaton Branch closed. In 1964 the canal company gained permission to close the rest of the canal. Over the next three decades, areas of the canal were built on while others were allowed to decay.
The Bill was passed by Parliament in 1793 by a narrow majority in the face of strong opposition from the Trent &Mersey and the Erewash Canal owners who had a scheme of their own.
Work commenced with the Little Eaton branch and the gangway, followed by the Sandiacre line. This began with a small basin under what is now St. Alkmund's Way, proceeding eastwards following a line south of the Nottingham Road. A short branch from the basin led via Phoenix lock to the river above a weir at St. Michaels Bridge, which gave access to the Darley Abbey mills.
The Sandiacre line followed the course of the old Nottingham Road with two locks near Borrowash, through Draycott and Breaston, now the A6005, a distance of nine miles. The Little Eaton line branched northwards at the boundary of the racecourse, passing to the east of Chester Green, parallel to and east of the present day railway. These were completed in 1795, the first load of coal from Denby being distributed to the poor of Derby.
Work then began on the crossing of the Derwent, followed by the line out to Swarkestone. From the small weir mentioned above a canal led through what is now Darwin Place to the Derwent Basin above the weir in the river which still exists behind the Council House, downstream of the Exeter Bridge. A timber causeway was built on trestles for use as the towpath. The weir also contained a culvert which transferred water between two branches, a distance of about a quarter of a mile.
From the basin the canal fell into a lock before crossing the mill race (which still runs beside Bass's Recreation Ground) by way of the cast-iron aqueduct arriving at Gandy's Wharf roughly where the Cockpit island is now.
It followed the line of the mill race before passing behind what became the Locomotive Works (now Pride Park), before turning sharply southwards towards Chellaston via the two Shelton locks. It joined the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone Bridge, a distance from Derby of five and a half miles. A short extension led on to the River Trent and all was complete by early 1796.
The Holmes Aqueduct proved to be extremely troublesome. Aqueducts up to that time had been made of stone, but several short arches would have been necessary, causing obstruction to the flow of the stream. The 44ft-long single span cast iron structure that Outram devised, and completed in 1796, was the first of its kind, it was completed earlier in the year 1796 than the structure by Thomas Telford at Longdon upon Tern on the Shrewsbury Canal.
In 1802 there was a partial failure, probably due to the sides bowing and transferring too much weight to the base where they joined to the deck. After remedial work it failed again in 1812 and was reinforced with timber baulks.Although plans were prepared for replacement in stone, it survived until 1930, when it collapsed again to be shored up once more.
In 1817 the link to the Trent and Mersey canal was closed due to its lack of financial success. The reason for this failure was that the Trent and Mersey canal had been charging tolls at extortionate rates on boats using the link.
By the mid 19th century the canal was in trouble. Competition from the railways had resulted in several neighbouring canals being sold off which had in turn reduced the level of through traffic. However the canal company did continue. In 1908 the Little Eaton Branch closed. In 1964 the canal company gained permission to close the rest of the canal. Over the next three decades, areas of the canal were built on while others were allowed to decay.
