Chesterfield Canal (Derbyshire restored section)
The maximum dimensions for a boat to be able to travel on the waterway are 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. The maximum headroom is 7 feet and 1 inch. The maximum draught is 2 feet and 6 inches.
Notable features of the waterway include Staveley Works Locks and Rother Way Tunnel
All four of the locks were restored by the Volunteer Work Party of the Chesterfield Canal Society (now Trust)between 1989 and 1997. The fifth, Dixon's Lock, was completely rebuilt by them because the original had been swept away by open-cast mining. The canal was opened from the floodgate to Mill Green in 2002 after Derbyshire County Council (who own the canal here) had removed some culverts and replaced them with bridges. The section from Mill Green to the new Staveley Town Basin was opened in 2012. The 700 feet long washwall between Mill Green Bridge and Hall Lane Bridge was built by the CCT Work Party.
Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:
Relevant publications — Waterway Guides:
| Chesterfield Waterside New development under construction and limit of navigation |
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| River Rother - Chesterfield Canal Junction | 2¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| River Rother Flood Gate | 3½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Tapton Mill Bridge | 3½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Rother Way Tunnel (southern entrance) | 6½ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Rother Way Tunnel (northern entrance) | 6¾ furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Tapton Lock No 1 | 7 furlongs | 0 locks | |
| Lockoford Lane Bridge | 7 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Tapton Slipway | 7½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rother Way Railway Bridge No 2 | 1 mile and ¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Rother Way Railway Bridge No 1 | 1 mile and 1 furlong | 1 lock | |
| Brimington Wharf | 1 mile and 4¾ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Station Road Bridge (Brimington) | 1 mile and 5 furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Wheeldon Mill Lock No 2 | 1 mile and 6½ furlongs | 1 lock | |
| Newbridge Lane Bridge | 1 mile and 6½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
| Bluebank Lock No 3 | 2 miles and 4½ furlongs | 2 locks | |
| Bilby Lane Bridge | 2 miles and 7 furlongs | 3 locks | |
| Bilby Lane Bridge Winding Hole | 2 miles and 7¼ furlongs | 3 locks | |
| Dixon's Lock No 4 | 3 miles and 2½ furlongs | 3 locks | |
| Staveley Works Pipe Bridge | 3 miles and 5 furlongs | 4 locks | |
| Hollingwood Lock No 5 | 3 miles and 7½ furlongs | 4 locks | |
| Works Road Bridge | 3 miles and 7½ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Works Road Winding Hole | 4 miles and ½ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Mill Green Bridge No 10 | 5 miles and ¾ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Staveley | 5 miles and 1¼ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Constitution Hill Footbridge No 11 | 5 miles and 2 furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Hall Lane Bridge No 12 | 5 miles and 3½ furlongs | 5 locks | |
| Staveley Town Basin This is the current limit of the restored section from Chesterfield. |
5 miles and 4 furlongs | 5 locks |
- Chesterfield Canal Trust — associated with this page
- Restoration website
- Tapton Lock Visitor Centre — associated with Tapton Lock No 1
- The only Visitor Centre on the Chesterfield Canal. Gift shop, Boat licences issued Snacks, Hot and Cold drinks
Wikipedia has a page about Chesterfield Canal
The Chesterfield Canal is a narrow canal in the East Midlands of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was one of the last of the canals designed by James Brindley, who died while it was being constructed. It was opened in 1777 and ran for 46 miles (74 km) from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire, passing through the Norwood Tunnel at Kiveton Park, at the time one of the longest tunnels on the British canal system. The canal was built to export coal, limestone, and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield, and corn, deals, timber, groceries and general merchandise into Derbyshire. The stone for the Palace of Westminster was quarried in North Anston, Rotherham, and transported via the canal.
It was reasonably profitable, paying dividends from 1789, and with the coming of the railways, some of the proprietors formed a railway company. It became part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway company, and although there were intermittent plans to convert parts of it to a railway, it continued to thrive as a canal. In 1907, subsidence from local coal mines caused the collapse of the Norwood Tunnel, and the canal was effectively split in two. Subsequently, the main use of the Chesterfield end was the supply of water to the iron industry, while commercial carrying continued on the Worksop to West Stockwith section until the late 1950s.
It was formally closed in 1961, but campaigners fought for it to be retained, and the Worksop to Stockwith section was designated as a "cruiseway" under the Transport Act 1968, meaning that it would be retained for leisure use. The rest was designated as a remainder waterway, and parts were sold off, with housing being built over the route through Killamarsh. The Chesterfield Canal Society was formed in 1978 to spearhead restoration, becoming the Chesterfield Canal Trust in 1997. They initially sought to extend the navigable section beyond Worksop, but when progress was slow, moved to working on the Chesterfield end. Over 5 miles (8 km) of canal, including five original locks and a brand new lock at Staveley Basin were navigable by 2017. The eastern end was restored from Worksop to the mouth of the Norwood Tunnel at Kiveton Park near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, between 1995 and 2003, funded by Derelict Land Grants, English Partnerships and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Less than 9 miles (14 km) of the original route remain to be restored to link the two navigable sections, but this will require some new lengths of canal to be built, to bypass the housing development at Killamarsh, and to replace most of the Norwood Tunnel, which cannot be restored. The eastern section is managed by the Canal and River Trust, while the western section is managed by Derbyshire County Council. It includes Tapton Lock Visitor Centre, located to the north of Tapton Park, and the Hollingwood Hub, which provides offices for the Trust, together with meeting rooms and a cafe. It is located by Hollingwood Lock, and consists of a large new extension on the back of the refurbished lock house.