The Chesterfield Canal is a canal in the north of England. It was opened in 1777 and ran 46 miles (74 km) from the River Trent at West Stockwith, Nottinghamshire to Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It is currently only navigable as far as Kiveton Park near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, plus an isolated section near Chesterfield. The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... 1777 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Trent is the name of several places: Trento in Italy, famous for the Roman Catholic Council of Trent Trent, Texas, USA Trent, South Dakota, USA Trent, Dorset, UK Rivers: River Trent in the UK, or one of several other Trent Rivers Other: Trent jet engine family manufactured by Rolls-Royce... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... For other locations with this name, see Chesterfield. ... Kiveton Park, informally Kiveton (in either case, Kiveton is pronounced with three syllables, i. ... Map sources for Rotherham at grid reference SK4392 Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England, built upon the River Don near the confluence of the Don and the Rother. ... South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. ...

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 South Anston, Rotherham, and transported via the canal. Coal (previously referred to as pitcoal or seacoal) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... Limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... General Name, Symbol, Number lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14, 6, p Appearance bluish white Atomic mass 207. ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, and boasts some of Englands most attractive scenery. ... The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct their sittings. ... The villages of North Anston and South Anston are the principal constituents of the civil parish of North and South Anston, in the metropolitan borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. ...

Construction

The route of the canal was surveyed by James Brindley and John Varley, who estimated the cost at £94,908 17s. Brindley presented his proposals to a meeting in Worksop on 24 August 1769. The investors asked John Grundy to carry out a second survey. He proposed a rather shorter course, from Storckwith in a straight line to Bawtry and then by Scrooby, Blyth and Carlton, to join Brindley's line at Shire Oaks. Grundy's line was 5½ miles (9 km) shorter, and the cost estimated at £71,479, 6s. 9½d. Although Grundy's line was considerably cheaper, it achieved this by missing Worksop and Retford, and the investors decided in favour of Brindley's route. hello An application was made to Parliament and the Act of Parliament received the Royal Assent on 28 March 1771, entitled An Act for making a navigable Cut or Canal from Chesterfield, in the county of Derby, through or near Worksop and Retford, to join the River Trent, at or near Stockwith, in the county of Nottingham. James Brindley. ... The shilling (or informally: bob) was an English coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first English shilling. ... The shilling (or informally: bob) was an English coin first issued in 1548 for Henry VIII, although arguably the testoon issued about 1487 for Henry VII was the first English shilling. ... A variety of coins considered to be lower-value, including an Irish 2p piece and many US pennies. ... Map sources for Worksop at grid reference SK585792 Worksop is a town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. ... Retford is a market town in northeastern Nottinghamshire, England in the district of Bassetlaw. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, or the Sovereigns representative in Commonwealth Realms, completes the process of the enactment of legislation by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ... 1771 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The promoters consisted of one hundred and seventy-four persons, amongst whom were the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Newcastle, Lord Scarsdale, the Dean of York, and Sir Cecil Wray. They were incorporated by the name of The Company of Proprietors of the Canal Navigation from Chesterfield to the River Trent, and empowered to raise among themselves the sum of £100,000, in one thousand shares of £100 each, to fund the construction. The Dukes of Devonshire are members of the aristocratic Cavendish family in the United Kingdom. ... Duke of Newcastle is a title which has been created several times in the peerages of England and Great Britain. ... Viscount Scarsdale and Baron Scarsdale are titles in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and Peerage of Great Britain, respectively. ...

Immediately on the passing of the act, construction began under the direction of Brindley. Upon his death in September 1772, John Varley moved from Clerk of Works to resident engineer with Hugh Henshall, Brindley's brother-in-law. Concerns were raised about John Varley's accounting and collusion in awarding contracts for construction to his relatives, and in 1773 Henshall was appointed Chief Engineer. The canal was opened throughout in 1777.

As built, the canal was almost 46 miles (74 km) long, being 24 miles from the Trent to Worksop with a rise of 250 feet (76 metres). From Worksop to the entrance to Norwood Tunnel it was 9 miles (14 km) with a further 85 feet (26 metres) rise. From there to Chesterfield it was a further 13 miles (21 km) with a fall of 45 feet (14 metres). There were 65 locks in all, with two tunnels: a short 153 yard (140 metre) tunnel near Gringley Beacon, and the major 3,102 yard (2,836 m) long Norwood Tunnel. At the time of construction, Norwood Tunnel was the joint longest canal tunnel in Britain, and it was sixth longest by the time it collapsed. This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ... This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ...

The canal was initially fairly successful, with dividends being returned to the investors. However, the building of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway line parallel to the canal (1849) left much of the navigation redundant, and the Worksop to Chesterfield stretch ceased to serve commercial traffic in 1908, when problems with mining subsidence necessitated the closure of Norwood Tunnel. The stretch between the tunnel and Worksop subsequently fell into ruin and became un-navigable, while parts of the isolated section from the tunnel to Chesterfield were infilled and redeveloped. This is about the historic company; see also about the present day preserved Great Central Steam Railway. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Map sources for Worksop at grid reference SK585792 Worksop is a town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A road destroyed by subsidence and shear. ...

Restoration

In 1961, the entire length of the canal was proposed for official abandonment, but protests made meant that under the Transport Act 1968 it was classified as a cruiseway between the Trent and Worksop, while the rest was classified as remainder. Restoration efforts began in the 1970s, with the Chesterfield Canal Society formed in 1976, focussing initially on the route east from Norwood Tunnel to Worksop, which presented relatively few physical obstacles to being restored to navigation. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Waterway restoration is the activity of restoring a canal or river, including special features such as warehouse buildings, locks, boat lifts, and boats. ...

However, in practice progress was slow, and attention turned to the section west of Norwood Tunnel, where much more damage had been done to the canal bed, with it being filled in and built over in many places. However, the last five miles (8 km) of the canal, from Chesterfield to Staveley, were in good condition, and restoration began in 1987, with Tapton lock being re-opened in 1990, followed by four more locks and three new bridges, with the five-mile section from Chesterfield being reopened to navigation in 2002, though still isolated from other waterways.

East of Norwood, Derelict Land Grants were obtained by Rotherham and Nottinghamshire councils in 1995, and restoration between Norwood and Worksop begain in earnest. In 2003, the Worksop to Norwood Tunnel stretch of the canal was reopened, with 30 restored locks, one new lock and three new bridges. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The most difficult part of the restoration project, linking the two re-opened sections, remains, with 10 miles (16 km) of canal to be restored or rebuilt, including the length of the tunnel. A significant diversion will be needed around the village of Killamarsh, where a housing estate has been built on the line of the canal. The middle section of the tunnel was lost to coal mining, and as part of the reclamation of the derelict mining area, the canal will be rebuilt in the open air, probably at a higher level with locks at each end. The eastern end of the tunnel will be retained; no firm decision has been made on the western end of the tunnel, which could be reused, or the new higher summit level extended to the west.

New link to the north

Proposals are at early stages for a link north from Killamarsh to the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation along the River Rother. The Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation is a series of canal cuttings in the north of England, along the course of the River Don. ... There is more than one River Rother: In England: River Rother (Eastern) in Kent and East Sussex River Rother (Western) in Hampshire and West Sussex River Rother, South Yorkshire (with its source in Derbyshire) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share...