Guys a fantastic blog we have a couple of railway coaches at the Midland Railway so go regular and familiar with that area, fascinating the info on the canal and wondered what the reservoir was for as you travel over on the MRT. thanks for your work on the blog
hey paul and rebecca , yet another interesting cool video , always makes my day to see you post a video , really well done and thank you so much guys :)
Nice to see another video on my doorstep, i spend a fair bit of time walking and riding along the canal and it's always pained me to see the poor state that it sits in now. There are plans to reinstate the canal from the Erewash junction all the way back to ironville res, but lack of funds will probably mean it wont be done in my lifetime.
Thanks for another interesting video! Any plans to do a video on the relationship between Richard Arkwright, his 'World Heritage Site' mill and the Cromford Canal?
Brilliant video! Really enjoyed it, I've been looking at the cromford canal myself recently on the old maps. Looks a good un! Great research as well by yourselves, thanks...
That's my neck of the woods but I've never tried to walk any of that stretch. I think we need to get Martin Zero down the Butterley tunnel. I've seen some pictures from someone who went down it a few years back before youtube was a thing but there's a major collapse just a few hundred yards from the eastern portal so you can't get through it any more. It's a shame it's in such a state these days. The wharf looked to be in pretty good condition but that's a scheduled monument it's just a shame the tunnel is in such bad repair as to render it nigh impossible to ever get to again. It's all capped off above ground and they're supposedly going to be building houses on the old Butterly works site. It'd be a shame if it were buried forever. Really the tunnel was a victim of its own success. The collapse was due to mining subsidence and I should think a good portion of what came out of the mines became the fuel and raw materials for the Butterley company. They took out the finished products via the canal but then the canal fell into the holes left by the mines.
Lovely video , enjoyed the mixture of Railways and canals in this video and it was lovely for Rebecca to show off her Melons fingers during the Readly advert.... which reminds me, still need to have a look at Readly
You forgot to mention the 33 yard long Buckland Hollow Tunnel which is about a mile west of Butterley Tunnel. You can walk through that one like my namesake tunnel. It is next to the Excavator Pub's car park.
@@neilevans8940 Pub formally a cafe, was owned by The J C Balls family who owned and ran a land scaping company using JCB excavators! established around 1970 or so.
Me and a couple of my friends used to swim in the Erewash canal when we were young just by the locks adjacent to the Stanton and Staveley Ironworks. The lock keepers cottage was deserted, almost derelict, and we used cook baked beans in their tin in the cottage fireplace after our swim. The lock keepers cottage has long gone and so have those years as I am almost 67 now. There were some old and damp air raid shelters nearby. Great videos you guys - well done.
As a young child I probably saw you having that swim.when out walking with me gran - down ghost passage, past cardboard hill and back along the canal (with some train spotting along the way).
@@roamingthepaths7363 I remember cardboard Hill 😂 Also remember coming down a Stanton slagheap on a scrap car door and shredding the back of my short trousers in the process. Then another time we sailed an old tin bath on a flooded pasture down Moorbridge Lane. Hey, who needs a PlayStation to have fun 😁
A delightful video as always, especially seeing all that was once supposed to be human supremacy over it is gently and gradually but inexorably taken back by Nature. About the title: Shouldn't it be "The Secrets ...", instead of "The Secret's ..."?
The Leawood pump house was also used to fill the canal (under the same rules as mentioned in the video to avoid disrupting the mills). It was basically only allowed to operate on Sundays, the water from the river ran in to a chamber in the basement and was lifted by the pump at the rate of around 4 tons of water with each stroke giving a high hourly rate. The pumping station is still operated by volunteers as a heritage attraction around once a month. I was lucky to see it in action, the steam is provided by 2 ex locomotive boilers (replacements installed when the railway were involved with the canal) and although the beam engine was only running slowly when I stood on the towpath opposite the old transfer shed it was possible to pick out where the water was being discharged in to the canal. The transfer shed was where goods would have been transferred from barges to the railway or vice versa for onward delivery.
Very informative video, such a pity that the A38 has prevented the full reopening of the Cromford / Erewash canals and Butterley tunnel. That location is far from me so it's quite interesting to see it. I often see old architecture and try to visualise what it was like at the height of it's original use. Clearly a lot of effort was put into these constructions and it's really sad when I hear that they can't be re-opened.
The tunnel is shut because it collapsed in the 40's, I think. I think it's collapsed around the midway mark. It does go under the A38, they extended the tunnel when they built that road in the late 70's. It might be worth a visit up here. The buses are surprisingly good in a lot of Derbyshire (well, except the city) & go through some beautiful countryside. The Cromford Canal goes past Crich. There's the Crich Tramway Village (Formally the Tramway Museum). The tramline goes along a cliff edge and you can see across the Derwent valley. There's also Crich Stand, it's basically a lighthouse which is a War Memorial. It's built on an old beacon point.
I have photos of the Condor Park end of the tunnel. One of my ancestors was killed at that end in 1852 at the age of 15 after crewing a boat through the tunnel. While fixing a rope to the towing post he got his head jammed between the post and one of the cross pieces that supported the tunnel roof. His head was badly crushed and he died shortly after.
Brilliant video! I didn't realise the history of the Cromford Canal was so complex! At 16:16 is can see a narrow gauge railway which must be the Golden Valley Light Railway. I remember traveling on this railway years ago and looking down and wondering why the cutting below seemed to just end! Now I know!
I totally get the model railway baseboard "yet to be done" thing :) Eventually built just a little bit on a bookshelf, enough to have a few scenic items and a couple points/turnouts to bump some cars around for a few minutes. (that was in a past decade) Lately I've been brainstorming what kind of baseboard would be required for a canal layout ...
In Britain you have a wonderfull industrial landscape from former times, that we completely lack here in Denmark, so for me your escursions out in this landscape has great value for entertainment. Thank you!
Given the Danish had a large impact on the UK (in the form of Viking ancestors), your country men and women helped to make us what we are. And William the Conqueror was also of Viking descent too so we're practically cousins.
Well, you two have done it again! Finding an interesting subject and making a fine video of it. For those of you who have not subscribed. What is holding you back? Do it! Paul and Rebecca Whitewick do a fine job of making videos that are both educational and fun. That is my two cents.
Hi both: You are building up quite a collection on this area. I believe it would be well worth doing a series edit video of all of the different clips. I would greatly appreciate this and I am sure many other subscribers would feel the same. Thank You
Great video, There is a book about Butterly tunnel which shows photos from inside, About 15 years ago I did manage to get right up to the eastern portal of the tunnel and get some photos. I will try and find them.
I'm not 100% sure but back in the days when I worked for the Rivers Authority (actually Carsington Reservoir was on my "patch"), there was a legend/myth/story that canals had a sort of wayleave in perpetuity so that if a canal needed to be reinstated, even if it had been filled in and developed, it could be re-instated. I'd love to believe that was true....
The Canals were established under an Act of Parliament. Therefore, by definition to change their ownership they must also go through an Act of Parliament, so strictly speaking you are correct. Many were however bought out by the railway companies, either to use their routes or simply to get rid of competition. The railway routes were also established by Act of Parliament, and since money is a great influence !, whenever there was a conflict of interest the railways generally won. In Victorian times railways were 'the Future'. As time went by, due to the dominance of the railways and changes to industry, canals were , in general becoming derelict, industry was moving away from the sources of its materials to sources of labour, and many canals were abandoned. Not just left but the term 'Abandonment' became almost a legal act that if you could prove that it was 'abandoned' to your local authority @ most of the land that had previously been owned by the gentry was now passing into public ownership) then they would let you build on it or fill it in so you could cross it. Only after the war, another period of enforced canal closure due to security, did anyone think about canals for leisure purposes. Robert Aickman, Tom Rolt formed The Inland Waterways Association 76 years ago to show that they still had a value, and the various books that they wrote described the variety of situations they encountered myths , legend stories and facts as they tried to find out what still existed and how it was connected. Amazingly this journey continues to this day, there are many restoration projects at various stages of completion. Check them out at waterways.org.uk
Guys, I'm really impressed. The production quality, music and narrated content is pretty much broadcast quality. I could easily imagine this as a segment on a show like Coast, or Country File and just assume it was from a mainstream media production company. So glad people like you put this much effort into content that is available for free. I hope the hard work pays off and you can make some income from this... Your efforts deserve a fair reward for your efforts.
The Cromford Canal linked up with the Cromford Mill, generally acknowledged to be the first factory in eth world. It's an interesting area, along with the southern end of the Cromford and High Peak Railway that used flat bits and inclined planes instead of locks, but a canal feel to it.. The nearby Butterley Gangroad (a 3' 6" Outram construction, 18th century gravity railway) included the first railway tunnel. The Butterley factory supplied the girders to the marvellous St Pancras. Sadly the bit of the canal up to the tunnel was restored with a regular boat, but never connected to the canal network and is now derelict again. And the national tramway museum at Crich is round the corner. (Yes, trams!). All-in-all a special part of the world. Internet - feel free to correct any of this stuff done by memory. Interesting video as always, including the drama of finding the reservoir value.
At Cromford you were at the bottom of Sheep Pasture incline, Middleton incline some miles away. On the way you pass Black rocks & possibly the best view in Derbyshire toward matlock & Riber castle high above, & Killers Branch now home to narrow gauge Steeple Grange Railway. Surprised you didn't look into the now restored Aqueduct Cottage which gaurded the entrance to Nightingale Arm (yes, Florence!). Pinxton Branch towards Langley Mill ran northwards & was proposed to eventually meet up with the Chesterfield canal to offer an alternative route north avoiding River Trent (tidal from Cromwell near Newark), but never got built.
I have lived in Ripley all my life (Besides two years in Kenya), I went to Benjamin Outram school. Visited the spooky door by the Butterley reservoir many times before the steps and hand rail was built, it used to be locked with a rusty nut and bolt. When I was around twenty five I visited it on a walk round the area and the door was open! however I did not have a torch so wisely I did not venture inside. I can remember walking from Hartshay end of the canal all the way to Cromford including going over the aqueduct at Bull bridge crossing the main road. Please get spell check on your sub titles at Benjamin Outram school it would have been six of the best!
Hi there, I liked your video, it's been years since I walked this section of the Cromford canal but it still remains a firm favourite with me. I do though have to confess to being a little confused about the filling of the Butterly reservoir from the river Derwent, I can't see how that could practically be achieved, they're miles apart and I can't recall any culverts or water courses that would connect the two other than the canal itself. There's the river Amber which flows from Butterly down to the Derwent, I could imagine this being diverted much further up its valley to the res. How did they get water from the Derwent into Butterly res'? It's odd since you passed by the Lea pump near Cromford which pumped water from the Derwent directly into the canal, is it this which pumped water only on a Sunday? I understood that the Lea steam pump was installed quite late on in response to chronic water shortages which hindered the smooth running of the canal. The underground wharfs at Butterly Engineering were built to maintain security since ordnance was manufactured at the foundry there for the Woolwich arsenal, the hidden wharf was used to load barges on the QT so that they wouldn't arouse interest amongst thieves and vagabonds. Butterly engineering also manufactured some parts of the Mulberry harbours used in the D Day landings and a later iteration of the company built the Falkirk Wheel canal lift in Scotland.
I started cycling canals about 6 months ago, and now have about 600 miles worth under the belt. I was only here last week and it was fascinating, as is your video. I was born and brought up in the village of Buxworth, Derbyshire, and I think it would be well worth a visit from you both. Buxworth Basin was an interchange point between the Peak Forest Canal, and Peak Forest Tramway. Buggy Basin was the largest inland port in the country, and was unique in the fact it used so called wagon tipplers, and at the junction with the Whaley Bridge arm, the horses went under the canal, and not over it, which is unusual, if not also unique. The Whaley arm of the canal was linked to the Cromford Canal via the C & H P Railway. The Peak Forest Tramway has the second oldest tramway tunnel in the world, Stodhart Tunnel, and one entrance still remains to this day. Buggy also had a number of collieries and quarries, one of which the stone built Grimsby Docks. It also had a stone railway viaduct, which collapsed, and then a temporary timber one made while they built the present day embankment..... A lot going on in such a small village.
The Erewash canal you mention is not the Earwash but the Errywash. I grew up not far from Langley Mill, where the Cromford Canal met the Nottingham and Erewash canals. Back in the day, the River Erewash - not much more than a stream most of the year - was the county boundary between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Just one thing, apart from the brilliance of giving an eye on this layout so close to myself (M. Bath and regular 'user' of C. Canal towpath)... Hhmm, It isn't 'Earwash' Canal (as said), but Eraywash/Erewash', as spoken locally. Sorry.
“oh well, two for one” sorry, I burst into laughter at that. very matter-of-fact joking tone but funny extra but that shows you go the extra mile with these
You are on Sheep Pasture Incline. at the beginning, The trap with the wagon used to be accessible til about 30 years ago (you could walk around the wagon). The High Peak Railway was based on a canal, the inclines are the locks. When you walked over the Aqueduct you came to the old cottage (now being transformed to a cafe). the branch to the left used to pass over the railway and on to Smedleys. The small aqueduct has now gone. I live a 15 minute walk from Butterley, it has an amazing history.... and remember the Falkirk wheel was manufactured there!
Europe, and britain in particular, has so much history just hidden in plain sight. As someone from Australia, which has no history, it's incredible to me.
Thank you again for another great journey I can't walk very far ,so you do all the explore for me and I don't get the gnats,brambles,wrong route detours your edits are great along with the maps and drone footage. Again thank you.
Great video… however… don’t show a magnificent old pumping building without getting some interior shots. Generally, the inside of a tunnel is… interesting… but an ancient pumping station? ‘fascinating.
Hope you enjoyed my home county of Derbyshire. I spent may a day during school holidays walking those track, later spent more time in the pubs than walking.
I found this creepy door when I first went to my Mum's new house. I decided to take the dog for a walk around the reservoir & found those strange steps. So, of course, I wandered down & found the creepy door covered in cobwebs & wondered why it was there. When I came back up the steps I asked this gentleman "Why is there a door there? What is it for", he kindly told me it was the inlet pipe for the reservoir. One day he'd gone down there & the door was open & there was a huge valve there. He said it'd probably take two men to operate it. He mentioned the underground wharf too. Apparently, there used to be a boathouse on the reservoir too where you could rent boats for the afternoon.
Great that you found the strange little tunnel to the valve under the reservoir, complete of course with a used car tyre. There's always an old tyre at such locations, even when they are quite remote! I wonder who leaves them and why. Anyway, lovely video, just enough info for me.
I'm so local it hurts now living in Ripley but Know the rest of the canal so well from Golden Valley. Give me a call anytime , you do come across Ironville a village built by Jessop
Great video. I grew up in Ripley and know most of the area but have not seen all of the places you found! I spent much of my time fishing the Res. I have been inside that room a few times the most recent being only a couple of years ago, it is just a short space with a big valve in there! And some very nasty looking large shiny black spiders protecting their hanging egg balls!
Back in 2019 I went to a steam railway club meeting in the building on the left at the start of the canal. There was a long boat selling two hour trips, I wonder how far they went?
I'd so love you to do some videos on the Renfrewshire and Glasgow canals. Your videos are very informative you certainly do your research, thanks for sharing
Another fantastic video Paul and Rebecca! Very interesting and informative as usual! The lengths you go to are really super to bring us such a great video. It’s great to follow your travels! Look forward to next week’s video!
Hi Guys thanks for another great video. You happen to be all over my area at the moment until a couple of years back I lived just up the hill from Froghall where you were the other week and I'm often around Cromford (I've even told tales at Cromford Wharf). I wonder if you spotted a boat called Birdswood? Birdswood was built as a butty boat in the 30s for a railway company, but after she went into private hands she spent many years as a horse drawn (later motorised) trip boat opperating out of Froghall. All the best and keep up the good work.
Went on the Cromford canal (towpath) today for the first time, from the wharf to the bend in the A6 near the beautifully named Whatstandwell. A beautiful stretch of canal, so much to look at. Definitely want to visit again, especially to see the High Peak Trail as missed the escape catch and the crashed wagon. Did get a look inside the pumphouse so awesome to see the workings 😊
My uncle always reminded us that Whatstandwell was (maybe) the only place in the World where you can see Railway, River, Road, and Canal, Running Parallel to each other!
I’ve been a member of Readly for many years now, so your offer of two free months is no good to me. However, I’ve been to the Cromford Canal many times, have walked the road from Matlock Spa to Matlock, when I was fit enough and stayed in the local area many times over the years. It’s a glorious part of the world.
My Dad wrote a well-received biography of Benjamin Outram, the principal engineer of the Cromford. I've spent many a LONG summer day tromping up and down towpaths, plateways and inclines as a kid in the late 60s and early 70s while he was researching the book. A marvellous piece of engineering. Have a look at James Brindley's work on the Bridgewater canal and Wet Earth Colliery - both excellent walks you might enjoy.
The A38 slip road wasn't the thing that really killed off a restoration hope - there's a big collapse inside the tunnel due to mining subsidence, there's also a missing aqueduct at Anbergate plus a waterworks plonked on the alignment just north of there. I'm not sure, but I also believe there's a section north of Langley Mill where mining subsidence caused an entire section to sink, flooding the valley.
Opencast mining and subsequent landscaping of the spoil heaps has obliterated much of the canal between Coalville and Langley Mill... There are plans in place for its restoration...
@MrShotlighter is correct that Butterley Wharf is not unique. There was also an underground wharf on the Manchester and Salford Junction Canal, and I think there were wharves or loading points in the Standedge tunnel on the Huddersfield Canal.
Just subscribed! Great videos, thank you. This is part of my growing up stamping ground. I used to sail on Butterley Res as a school boy. What's interesting is seeing things I didn't know where there. You might like to go a bit further down the Derwent Valley. The mills at Belper and Milford have there own leats from the Derwent; Belper Mill is practically built on stilts over water. Part of my job at Milford Mill was testing the water daily as it came into the dye-house to check it's suitability for use in the mill.
