Erewash canal, built 1777-1779. The canal runs from Langley Mill, down the Erewash valley to the Trent. The whole length of the canal is broad. There are 2 locks in the county. The canal is now only used by pleasure craft. (1)
S grid ref for county boundary.

The Act of Parliament for the Erewash was passed in 1777. John Varley was made engineer and cutting proceeded quickly, some of the line being open in 1778 and all in 1779. The total length was 11.75 miles with 14 broad locks for boats 78' x 14'6". When the Nottingham Canal was authorized in 1792 the Erewas fought back by trying to gain direct access to Nottingham. First they tried to make the Beeston Cut themselves, eventually built by the Trent Navigation, then in 1793 they became involved with the Trent Canal scheme to continue the Trent & Mersey to Beeston and Nottingham. With the arrival of the Nutbrook Canal in 1795, joining the Erewash at Stanton, and of the Derby Canal in 1796, joining lower down at Sandiacre, more traffic came on to the Erewash, together with more water. The opening in 1834 of the Leicestershire & Swannington Railway made Leicestershire coal competetive with Derbyshire so the Erewash revenue declined, but much more serious was the authorization in 1844 of an Erewash Valley Railway, opened in 1847 parallel to the waterway. Competition was severe and the Erewash had to make toll reductions. But the coal trade still fell away, the only releving feature being the foundation in 1846 of what became the Stanton Ironworks. After 1894 through toll agreements were made by the Grand Junction with the Leicester, the Loughborough and the Erewash. This was part of a plan to develop the Derbyshire coal trade to London by creating a wide waterway throughout. In 1932 the new Grand Union bought the Erewash in a second attempt to secure a wide route to the Trent and Derbyshire coalfield. The Erewash continued to carry traffic and in 1932 the new owners found a carrying subsidiary, the Erewash Canal Carrying Co. Traffic lasted on the Erewash until 1952 and in 1962 the section between Langley Mill and Ilkeston was officially abandoned, but the whole canal is used by pleasure craft. (2)(3)(4)

Data Held: Ground Photograph (Ground photograph). SNT2646.

2 BW print, J2, J5, SMR

<1> Patrick A, 1975, Canals in Nottinghamshire (Monograph). SNT50.

<2> Historic England, 2021, National Record of Historic Environment (Digital archive). SNT5271.

<3> series editor : David Perrott, 1983, The Ordnance Survey guide to the waterways, 3 : north, p. 35-41 (Published document). SNT6093.

<4> Edward Paget-Tomlinson, 1993, The illustrated history of canal and river navigations, p. 131-132 (Published document). SNT6094.