Chesterfield Canal

Chesterfield Canal
Drakeholes Tunnel in 2007
Specifications
Length	46 miles (74 km)
Maximum boat length	72 ft 0 in (21.95 m)
Maximum boat beam	7 and 14 ft (2 and 4 m)
Status	part open, part under restoration
Navigation authority	Canal & River Trust, Derbyshire Council
History
Principal engineer	James Brindley
Other engineer(s)	John Varley
Date of act	1771
Date completed	1777
Date closed	1908, 1968
Geography
Start point	Chesterfield
End point	West Stockwith

The Chesterfield Canal is in the north of England and it is known locally as 'Cuckoo Dyke'. It was opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles (74 km) from the River Trent at , Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It is currently navigable as far as Kiveton Park near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, plus an isolated section near Chesterfield. Tapton Lock Visitor Centre is located on the Chesterfield Canal to the north of Tapton Park.

The canal was built to export coal, limestone, and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield, and corn, deals, timber, groceries, etc. into Derbyshire. The stone for the Palace of Westminster was quarried in North Anston, Rotherham, and transported via the canal.

Lead had been mined in Derbyshire on a commercial scale since at least 1300, but the industry was hampered by poor transport links. The pigs of lead were carried by pack horses to Bawtry, where there were wharves on the River Idle. Small boats carried them to the River Trent, where the cargo was transferred to larger vessels for onward distribution. There was no proper system of road maintenance, and so the use of carts and wagons for the over-land journey was not possible. The River Idle was also unreliable, being affected by floods and droughts, but there were no alternatives, and the industry flourished despite the difficulties. The Derwent Navigation was authorised in 1719, running from Derby to the River Trent, but it was less reliable than the Idle, and so did not seriously affect trade through Bawtry. The London Lead Company, one of the main traders, together with others involved in lead and coal mining, looked for possible solutions, and were joined in this by several prominent landowners.