A sough (pronounced /saʊ/ or /sʌf/) is an underground channel for draining water.
71-645: The Cromford Canal ran 14.5 miles (23.3 kilometres) from Cromford to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire, England with a branch to Pinxton . Built by William Jessop with the assistance of Benjamin Outram , its alignment included four tunnels and 14 locks . From Cromford it ran south following the 275-foot (84 m) contour line along the east side of the valley of the Derwent to Ambergate , where it turned eastwards along
142-559: A 1.3-mile (2.1 km) length between Leawood Pumphouse and Cromford Wharf with the aim of making it navigable for narrowboats. Derbyshire CC funded this work, which was carried out by Ebsfleet Environmental using suction dredgers. The Friends of the Cromford Canal obtained a trip boat, originally built as a butty in 1938, but which had been used for trips on the Caldon Canal at Froghall until 2010. It arrived at Langley Mill in 2013, where
213-505: A decade, with the last group assisting the canal in 1988. Other groups which provided volunteer labour included engineering apprentices, Girl Guides , trainee nurses, Matlock Fire Brigade, Alfreton young offenders, Scouts , Foreign Exchange students and Army personnel. The Leawood steam pumping station was restored to working order. Volunteers began visiting it in 1971, by agreement with the British Waterways Board, to assess what
284-438: A deep trench anywhere from 30 to 90cms deep where the water was naturally gathering and/or where it was to be diverted. Sometimes the larger drains had flat stone bottoms, the smaller poor quality ones did not. Sides were then formed in the same way as a dry stone wall by stacking interlocking stones. These were then capped off by large flatter stones (to form a tunnel) and rubble (both stones, broken pottery and glass) thrown around
355-594: A lock was removed as part of a flood prevention scheme. Before the canal was abandoned because it no longer server a commercial purpose, there were official moves to consider its future. As part of the parliamentary discussion for the Transport Bill in November 1952, the British Transport Commission talked to various county and local authorities to see whether they would be interested in acquiring canals, and
426-469: A pre-requisite to building the actual canal. These involved culverting two watercourses that crossed the work site, and the creation of a flood compensation area, since the canal will run across the Erewash flood plain, reducing its capacity. Spoil removed from the compensation area will be used to build up the banks of the new canal channel. Concern about whether the bridge foundations are strong enough to support
497-548: A school. Willersley Castle , now a Grade II* listed building , was also built by Richard Arkwright in 1791; after a fire in 1792, it was rebuilt and occupied by his son Richard Arkwright junior starting in 1796. In the early 1800s, Scarthin Nick was "blasted through with dynamite to make way for what later became the A6, thus annexing the Arkwright industrial mill complex on the east side of
568-515: A trip on the John Gray from Cromford to Gregory Dam, beyond the tunnel, and back to Cromford. This was the only passenger boat to use this section of the canal, as heavy rainfall and high winds in February 1989 resulted in three spillways becoming blocked, and the canal over-topping its banks in two places, the first of which was at the same place that a breach had occurred in 1920. The canal beyond Leawood
639-508: Is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire , England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock . It is 17 miles (27 km) north of Derby , 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Matlock and 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Matlock Bath . It is first mentioned in the 11th-century Domesday Book as Crumforde , a berewick (supporting farm) of Wirksworth, and this remained
710-495: Is important as a very early purpose-built industrial workers' housing, and was rescued from dereliction in the 1970s by the Ancient Monument Society who have since sold off the houses. One house in the street is now a Landmark Trust holiday cottage. Masson Mill (1783) is on the northern fringe of the village. Willersley Castle dominates the hill on the east side of the river, with commanding views of Masson Mill,
781-585: Is named Textilfabrik Cromford after Cromford, as this is where the industrial pioneer Johann Gottfried Brügelmann in 1783 erected the first factory outside England, using Arkwright's factory as an archetype. The factory today forms part of the Rheinisches Industriemuseum . Cromford railway station is located on the Matlock – Derby Derwent Valley Line and can be seen on the cover of the 1995 Oasis single " Some Might Say ". Historically, Cromford
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#1732844857828852-550: Is served by trains along the Derwent Valley line between Derby and Matlock . The route is operated by East Midlands Railway , with services stopping generally hourly in both directions. The Cromford Mill (1771) buildings and accommodation for workers to staff the factories form part of the Derwent Valley Mills , which is recognised as a World Heritage Site for its importance. North Street, constructed by Arkwright,
923-517: The Nottingham Canal , both in 1796, further facilitated the latter's trade with these textile centres. Although Arkwright had suggested that water should be drawn from the Derwent (by raising his weir at Masson Mill and feeding it via an aqueduct to Cromford Meadows – thus improving his plans for quarries behind Willersley and adding extra power to his mill wheels at the expense of the canal company),
994-614: The Amber valley . It turned sharply to cross the valley, crossing the river and the Ambergate to Nottingham road, by means of an aqueduct at Bullbridge , before turning towards Ripley . From there the Butterley Tunnel took it through to the Erewash Valley . From the tunnel it continued to Ironville, the junction for the branch to Pinxton, and then descended through fourteen locks to meet
1065-576: The Butterley Company 's quarry at Crich with a plateway to the Amber Wharf at Bullbridge. In an attempt to avoid using cable-haulage or a rack and pinion system, a remarkable steam engine, the "Steam Horse" was tried out in 1813. In 1840 when the North Midland Railway was built, George Stephenson was faced with the problem at Bullbridge of taking the line over the road but under
1136-658: The Dark Peak , flows southward to Derby and then into the River Trent . The geology of this section in the Derbyshire Dales is that of limestone . The fast flowing river has cut a deep valley. The A6 trunk road , which was the main road between London and Manchester in former times, the Cromford Canal and the Derwent Valley Line , linking Derby and Matlock, were all built in the river valley. The Via Gellia valley joins
1207-650: The High Peak Junction of the Cromford and High Peak Railway . In late 2020, the Friends of the Cromford Canal were granted planning permission for a 0.5-mile (0.8 km) extension of the canal from Langley Mill towards Cromford, to be known as the Beggarlee Extension. The planning process took four years, as both Amber Valley and Broxtowe councils required onerous conditions to be met. The original route in this area
1278-585: The Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge . Its trackbed now forms the High Peak Trail , a walk and cycle route which is joined by the Tissington Trail at Parsley Hay . Sough Out of a mine : ideally the bottom of the mine would be higher than the outlet, but where the mine sump is lower, water must be pumped up to the sough. Out of sloping farmland: these are to be found (at least) around
1349-575: The water frame . More specifically, according to Peak District Online , "Cromford is also known as the 'cradle' or `birthplace` of the Industrial Revolution for this was where Richard Arkwright (1732-1792), perhaps Britain's first ever `industrial tycoon` and known as `The Father of the Factory System` chose to build the world's first water-powered cotton mill in 1771." The Gell family, who were local Hopton landowners heavily involved in
1420-564: The 17th and 18th centuries. The falling price of lead brought the decline of the Derbyshire lead mining industry towards the end of the 19th century. Some soughs were very extensive. Meerbrook sough is over four miles in length. Digging such long tunnels took a long time. Vermuyden sough , named after the Dutch engineer, Cornelius Vermuyden , who planned it, took 20 years to dig. The Cromford sough, which Sir Richard Arkwright subsequently used to power his mill at Cromford , took 30 years to dig. It
1491-540: The 3,063-yard (2,801 m) Butterley Tunnel for four years, and further subsidence in 1900 resulted in the tunnel being permanently closed. Most of the canal was abandoned in 1944 with the exception of a half-mile (800m) stretch to Langley Mill which was abandoned in 1962. The Bullbridge Aqueduct was removed in 1968 when the Ripley road was widened. In 1985 the Codnor Park Reservoir was lowered by 6 feet (1.8 m) and
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#17328448578281562-556: The Butterley tunnel, and stressed the importance of only using the narrow tunnel in any one direction at particular times. There are reported instances of fines levied for non-compliance with these rules. In 1819 the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway opened up trade with Mansfield including moulding sand for the foundries. In 1831, the Cromford and High Peak Railway opened a route up to Manchester The canal also carried limestone from
1633-497: The Cromford end of the canal from around 1968, well before the transfer of ownership to Derbyshire County Council. Their first priority was to improve the towpath, which they did with large quantities of limestone and the use of borrowed dumper trucks. They also attempted to create a drainage channel, so that water could pass down the canal rather than becoming a flood hazard in times of heavy rain. As confidence grew, they repaired leaks in
1704-566: The Cromford was one of those. At the time, the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) had the canal earmarked as one that could be restored. The Inland Waterways Preservation Society proposed in 1959 that the upper reaches of the canal, including the Leawood pumping station, shoud be retained. In 1961, Ripley Urban District Council withdrew an earlier proposal to close the canal, and supported Derbyshire County Council in their proposal that
1775-667: The Derwent at Cromford; however, the stream which runs through that valley is actually the Ivonbrook and historically the valley was called the Ivonbrook Valley. The Via Gellia is simply the name of the road which runs along it, named after the Gell family who owned many mines in the area. It is one of the significant sites in the development of the Industrial Revolution . Here, Richard Arkwright built his cotton mill to make use of
1846-521: The Erewash Canal at Langley Mill . The Pinxton Branch became important as a route for Nottinghamshire coal, via the Erewash, to the River Trent and Leicester and was a terminus of the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway . A 6-mile (9.7 km) long section of the Cromford canal between Cromford and Ambergate is listed as a Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a local nature reserve . In addition to purely canal traffic, there
1917-498: The Erewash Canal owners hands, for, without their co-operation, there was the implicit threat that a competing canal would be built to the Trent. The major opposition came from the water-powered mill owners along the Derwent , of which there were many, downstream of the proposed canal, fearful of loss of flow in dry weather. Since, between Cromford and Pinxton, the canal would be level, Jessop was able to give reassurance, carefully downplaying
1988-511: The Pennine areas of East Lancashire to carry water from higher up, down through the clay based fields to reduce flooding and soft ground. The term is closely associated with the lead mining areas of Derbyshire (see Derbyshire lead mining history ). Early Derbyshire lead mines were fairly shallow, since methods to remove water were inefficient and miners had to stop when they reached the water table . By digging soughs, miners found they could lower
2059-735: The Silk Mill in Derby and including the mills in Cromford, Milford, Belper and Darley Abbey was declared the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Masson Mill was described by the Peak District Online in 2006 as "perhaps the most prominent of Arkwright’s constructions ... and still in use today as a heritage site museum and retailer outlet". The 1931 novel Saturday Night at the Greyhound by John Hampson takes place over
2130-483: The area for the growing iron industry. Also important would be lead from Wirksworth and cotton from the Cromford mills. The connection to the Erewash Canal would provide an outlet to the Trent and Mersey Canal and the rest of the country. The canal therefore attracted the support of some powerful figures such as Philip Gell of Hopton Hall and Sir Richard Arkwright – the latter initially at least. Matters were taken out of
2201-494: The banks, and borrowed two Smalley excavators for the Waterway Recovery Group to begin dredging the channel, but they were too small for the job. When ownership transferred to Derbyshire County Council, they obtained a second-hand nine-ton Smith 14 tracked excavator which was much more suitable. Much of the clearance work was achieved by driving the machine along the canal bed, and by 1977 they were able to drive it out of
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2272-666: The building was used as a maternity hospital by the Salvation Army while evacuated from their hospital in the East End of London. St Mary's Church , built between 1792 and 1797 by Richard Arkwright. The Cromford Canal – built to service the mills – is now disused, but has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The canal tow-path can be followed from Cromford Wharf to High Peak Junction , and on to Whatstandwell and Ambergate . The Cromford and High Peak Railway , completed in 1831, ran from High Peak Junction to
2343-531: The canal at Leawood, ready for re-watering the canal. By mid-1977, the canal was in water, and a horse-drawn trip boat was operating on some weekends. This proved to be popular, and regular weekend trips were operated in 1978, with around 8,000 visitors enjoying the experience. The trip boat, named the John Gray , was lengthend from 40 feet (12 m) to 50 feet (15 m) in January 1979 and to 60 feet (18 m) In 1982, Some 15,000 passengers were carried in 1982. As
2414-399: The canal committee had secretly no intention of so doing. The proprietors changed the line of the canal to its present terminus, where a connection was made to the Cromford sough , even though they had to purchase the land from Arkwright at £1,000 and landscape (at unknown cost) the grounds of his then house. Water could be drawn from the sough at night as well as on Sundays, when Cromford Mill
2485-518: The canal owners first hired a pump and then built the Leawood Pump House in 1849 buying a Cornish-type beam engine from Grahams of Elsecar. In 1802 the canal had carried over 150,000 tons and by 1842 nearly 300,000, then in 1849, the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway was built alongside as far as Ambergate, which reached Manchester in 1867. A further line to Pye Bridge
2556-568: The canal should be maintained for its amenity value. By 1971, Derbyshire County Council were actively considering including the upper reaches of the canal in a High Peak Park development scheme. The transfer of ownership of the top 5 miles (8.0 km) of canal between Cromford and Ambergate from the British Waterways Board to Derbyshire County Council was reported in October 1972 in a new magazine called Waterways World , launched to highlight
2627-486: The canal was showing an income, unfinished though it was. In August, however, there were problems with the Derwent Aqueduct which required considerable modification. The spandrel walls had parted due to the horizontal forces imposed by the canal, and a longitudinal split had opened up in the arch. In his report to the canal committee, Jessop gave his opinion that the use of Crich lime, being unusually pure, had delayed
2698-464: The canal which contained coal deposits to open pits. As the pits opened, profits soared, and by 1789 dividends had reached 20 per cent. On 1 May 1787, the proprietors considered two letters at their meeting, which proposed extensions beyond Langley Mill. The proposals were from local landowners, and were seen as an extension of the Erewash Canal. One was for a canal from Langley Mill to Pinxton, where there were 6 miles (9.7 km) of coal-bearing land, but
2769-418: The canal, by cutting a ribbon tied across Cromford wharf. Work continued to restore the canal beyond Leawood to Leashaw, passing through Gregory tunnel. Much of the clearance work was carried out using a Smalley excavator mounted on a pontoon. It got as far a Leashaw bridge, before it was needed further back along the canal. On 21 December 1988, the last day of working for the year's Job Creation Team, they made
2840-462: The canal, thus the Bullbridge Aqueduct , in its final form, placed the river, road, railway and canal at four levels. In 1846 the mining beneath Wirksworth had reached such a depth that Meerbrook Sough was built, draining into the Derwent near Whatstandwell , which deprived both Arkwrights mill and the canal of water, leaving the latter with only that from Butterley Reservoir. Accordingly,
2911-626: The case throughout the Middle Ages. The population at the 2011 Census was 1,433. It is principally known for its historical connection with Richard Arkwright and the nearby Cromford Mill , which he built outside the village in 1771. Cromford is in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site . The Cromford mill complex, owned and being restored by the Arkwright Society , was declared by Historic England as "one of
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2982-468: The contractors soon found themselves in financial difficulties and, at the end of 1790, simply walked off the site. Benjamin Outram hastily took over full management control and was awarded a salary increase. In January 1792 there was a problem when the Amber Aqueduct failed but, by May, the canal to the east of Butterley was virtually complete and most of the earthworks to the west. The Butterley Tunnel
3053-700: The country’s 100 irreplaceable sites". It is also the centrepiece of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site . In 2018, the Cromford Mills Creative Cluster and World Heritage Site Gateway Project was listed as a finalist for the Best Major Regeneration of a Historic Building or Place in the Historic England Angel Awards. The River Derwent, with its sources on Bleaklow in
3124-578: The course of one evening in the bar at the Greyhound Hotel, Cromford. In late 2006, Anand Tucker used certain parts of Cromford, including its historic bookshop, for his film And When Did You Last See Your Father? , based on the autobiographical memoir by poet Blake Morrison . Colin Firth plays the adult Blake, with Jim Broadbent cast as his dying father. An industrial site in the German town of Ratingen
3195-703: The drainage from the Wirksworth lead mines. Arkwright complained that the canal crossed his land and insisted that water should be obtained from the river by raising the height of the weir at Masson Mill . This was an unwelcome complication (which would mainly benefit Arkwright himself and his mill) but the canal committee reluctantly agreed. The canal obtained its act of Parliament , the Cromford Canal Act 1789 ( 29 Geo. 3 . c. 74). Perhaps because they had quoted too little, basing their estimates on Jessop's cost predictions which may themselves have been too optimistic,
3266-419: The engine, fitted in 1995, was replaced by an electric drive, and then moved to Cromford by road. The historic cargo narrowboat, named Birchwood , has given visitors the opportunity to experience both horse-drawn and electric-powered trips along the dredged section since 2013. Since 2001, most of the Ambergate to Cromford section of the canal has been within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site , with
3337-510: The final 547 yards (500 m) at Ambergate located within the Heritage Site buffer zone. The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust manage manage the section from Whatstandwell to Ambergate as it is a designated nature reserve. The whole canal has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1981. The towpath from Ambergate to Cromford is a popular walking route, providing views of the adjacent Derwent Valley Line and access to Leawood Pump House and
3408-507: The growing interest in canal restoration schemes. The Cromford Canal Society (CCS) was formed at the same time, to manage the restoration. The Society was registered with the Charity Commission on 3 October 1972. By the time the IWA held their National Rally in 1974, they announced growing interest in a plan to restore the lower reached of the Cromford Canal as well. Volunteers began working on
3479-474: The initial estimate of £42,697 (£6,200,000 in 2023), the canal opened in 1794 and was a financial success. Jessop had based his initial predictions for the expected returns on the carriage of limestone from Cromford and Crich and coal from Pinxton. However, the canal itself encouraged new enterprises. The canal mostly carried coal, lead and iron ore, some extracted from inside the Butterley Tunnel. Copper
3550-459: The locks for a week even in the driest weather. The length from the Erewash Canal would be built to match, accessible to barges from the Trent. Through the Butterley Tunnel and along the narrow Derwent valley it would be to narrow boat standards, similar to the Trent and Mersey. At the last minute before the bill was to be presented to Parliament, Richard Arkwright raised a problem. The assumption had been that water would come from Cromford Sough ,
3621-577: The main Derby road and the Market Place and village at the bottom of the hill which climbs steeply westward towards Wirksworth, on the other". The 20th century saw the development of council and private housing. Dene quarry, currently operated by Tarmac Ltd for the production of aggregates and roadstone, was excavated to the south west of the village from 1942 onwards. In December 2001 a 15 miles (24 km) corridor from Masson Mill in Matlock Bath to
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#17328448578283692-585: The national inland waterway system at the junction with the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill. The group runs a trip boat , Birdswood , between Cromford Wharf and Leawood Pump House, although even after dredging of the section in 2013 it is quite shallow. English actor Brian Blessed is the president of Friends of the Cromford Canal. His voice gives the recorded safety announcement for the tripboat. 53°03′50″N 1°28′57″W / 53.063952°N 1.482618°W / 53.063952; -1.482618 Cromford Cromford ( / ˈ k r ɒ m f ər d / )
3763-484: The nearby Wirksworth lead mining district, had the Via Gellia built to connect Cromford and Grangemill in the late 18th century. Various cottages and farm buildings pre-date Arkwright's time, but a large part of the village was built to house the mill workers. One source states that these are now considered to be "the first factory housing development in the world". Employees were provided with shops, pubs, chapels and
3834-400: The outside and on top before the clay and soil were put back and the grass left to grow. Not only do they divert water from higher ground under the fields to a lower open watercourse, they also take it from the fields themselves as it percolates through into them. Many drains are now suffering blockages from clay or iron ochre leaching in and collapse. The latter caused naturally, but also from
3905-409: The problem of the descent, with its locks, to Langley Mill. However, with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, he also spent over a year measuring the flow rate of the Derwent, a precaution which was invaluable when the bill was placed before Parliament. He also proposed to make the summit pound deep enough that it could be replenished on Sundays when the mills were closed, and hold enough water to supply
3976-428: The promotors could not reach agreement with the proprietors of the Erewash Canal. The suggestion was declined by the canal company, so local businessmen, including Benjamin Outram's father Joseph, Benjamin decided to go ahead on their own, asking William Jessop to design one between Langley Mill and Cromford, with a branch to Pinxton. This would carry coal to Cromford, which was becoming industrialised, and limestone from
4047-489: The scope of the project grew, the society transformed itself into a limited company on 4 January 1979, and employed a full-time worker later that month. The Manpower Services Commission had launched the Job Creation Scheme in October 1975, and the Cromford Canal became one of 20 canals to benefit from this, when in February 1979 they organised a team of workers to carry out maintenance and restoration. This continued for
4118-423: The setting of the mortar. Later writers, with the benefit of engineering knowledge acquired after Jessop's time, have suggested that the spandrel walls were simply too slender for the forces imposed. At any rate, the arch was partly dismantled and steel tie bars and lateral reinforcing arches were installed, together with external buttresses. This Jessop did at his own expense. In the end, despite costing about twice
4189-405: The village, and the road from Derby. Commissioned by Richard Arkwright, building work began in 1790, but was delayed by a fire in 1791. Richard Arkwright died in 1792, and the building was occupied by his son Richard in 1796. The Arkwright family moved out in 1922, and the building was acquired by some Methodist businessmen, and opened to guests as a Methodist Guild hotel in 1928. During World War II,
4260-442: The water table and allow mines to be worked deeper. Soughs were typically dug from their open end near a stream or river back into the hillside beneath the mine to be drained. One sough would often drain more than one mine, since these were often very close, working the same vein of lead. This also helped spread the cost of digging the sough. Some soughs include branches to facilitate further drainage. Many soughs were dug throughout
4331-481: The weight of a canal means that the canal will be carried beneath the road in a concrete aqueduct, supported on foundations which are beyond those that were constructed for the bridge. The Friends of the Cromford Canal is a charitable organisation whose aim is to see the restoration of the Cromford Canal for the benefit of the general public. The society promotes the restoration of the Canal to navigation, and to connect it to
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#17328448578284402-493: Was a lively freight interchange with the Cromford and High Peak Railway , which traversed the plateau of the Peak District from Whaley Bridge in the north west, and which descended to the canal at High Peak Junction by means of an inclined plane. The Erewash Canal had been opened from the River Trent to Langley Mill in 1779, but initially there was a lack of traffic. The proprietors appealed for anyone who owned land near
4473-613: Was brought from as far away as Ecton Hill in Staffordshire and the canal opening the way for lead from Ecton, as well as Wirksworth to be taken to the Lead Market at Hull and chert from Bakewell to the Potteries . It also allowed the finished products of the area to be exported widely, the Butterley Company 's castings and Arkwright's spun cotton. The opening of the Derby Canal and
4544-464: Was built in 1875. By 1888 trade had shrunk to 45,000 tons a year. The Cromford Canal Sale Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccxc) authorised a merger with the MBM&MJR. The sale was not carried through until 1852 by which time the Midland Railway and the LNWR had assumed joint control and, with railway lines from Rowsley through Ambergate to the north and south, it was being used for little more than local traffic. In 1889, subsidence closed
4615-486: Was drained, and was never used by trip boats. The Cromford Canal Society was wound up in 1990, and the canal gradually became derelict again. After 12 years of neglect, a new organisation was formed to carry on restoration work. The Friends of the Cromford Canal was formed in March 2002, with the stated aim of restoring the whole canal for navigation. Most of the top 5 miles (8 km) of canal owned by Derbyshire County Council remains in water. In March 2013 dredging began on
4686-435: Was excavated by first sinking 33 shafts, about 75 yards (69 m) apart as much as 57 yards (52 m) deep to give a number of working faces. Most of the heading was through soil, with some coal measures and iron ore deposits, the final tunnel being lined through most of its length. By 1793 the company had a balance in hand of only £273 and the cost had risen to half as much again as Jessop's original estimate. Nevertheless,
4757-421: Was not working. Coming from underground, it was slightly warm, and it was said that it never froze. (Arkwright had been using the sough water to power Cromford Mill since the previous century.) The opening of the Nottingham Canal provided further water via the Butterley Reservoir, almost above Butterley Tunnel and on the summit level of the Cromford Canal. The sign illustrated (left) was displayed at both ends of
4828-506: Was part of the Wirksworth Wapentake or Hundred ; this administrative area, also known as the Soke of Wirksworth (the "small county of Wirksworth"), soon became West Derbyshire Council and is now called Derbyshire Dales District Council. The village is run locally by the Cromford Parish Council. The A6 , which links Carlisle with Luton , passes just to the north of the village; it provides easy access to Manchester , Stockport , Bakewell , Matlock and Derby . Cromford railway station
4899-443: Was required, and to understand its operation. Once Derbyshire County Council owned the canal, they applied for a grant of £5,613 from the Department of the Environment to refurbish the Grade II* listed building. After eight years, the engine was ready to steam again, and once the teething problems were resolved, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire formally opened the pumping station on 3 May 1980. Later that day they also formally opened
4970-501: Was severed by the construction of the A610 road, which followed the course of the canal for a short distance. The extension will therefore be a new canal, with Beggarlee locks, a staircase pair, lifting the level of the canal sufficiently for it to pass under a bridge constructed for a former colliery railway. It will then skirt around the spoil heaps of Moorgreen Colliery, to rejoin the original route at Stoney Lane, Brinsley. Construction began in mid-2023 on some enabling works, which were
5041-478: Was still being extended a century after construction began. Some soughs are still in use. According to the British Geological Survey , the Meerbrook sough, started in 1772, still provides 3.75 million litres (990,000 US gal) a day for the public water supply. The date of the construction of these ancient field drains is currently unknown, they are the forerunner to the modern plastic perforated land drain pipe and were built by hand. First by digging
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