Weekly on Wednesdays
Volunteer Work Party
The work party normally operates at a variety of sites along the canal, usually starting at 9.30am.
Contact John Barker for more information: 07860 632837 or 01773 760358
Monday 18th May
Postponed due to Coronavirus
Bennerley Viaduct
An illustrated talk by Kieran Lee
7.30pm, Ironville Church Hall
Tea, Coffee, Bar & Raffle
£2.50 admission. Non members welcome
Click image to download poster
Click here for map
The Friends of the Cromford Canal is a charitable organisation whose aim is to see the restoration of the historic Cromford Canal for the benefit of the general public. We advocate and promote its restoration to navigation, connected to the national inland waterway system, and the conservation, use, maintenance, and development of the canal, buildings, towing path, structures, craft and environment now or previously associated with the canal to its fullest use for appropriate commercial and recreational purposes and to preserve this valuable historical heritage.
For the very latest news, check out our Facebook page
here.
Why not subscribe to our bimontly e-Newsletter? To get your copy email fccnewsletter891@gmail.com.
FCC NEWSLETTER No 9
The May 2021 issue is now available to download as a pdf by clicking the image below. If you would like to receive future issues by email as soon as they are published, email Richard Handley at fccnewsletter891@gmail.com.
CROMFORD WHARF GUIDE & HISTORY
Lockdown has given FCC's Archivist extra time to delve into the documents and images held in the archives and to assemble a selection of them into a fully illustrated booklet. Cromford Wharf: A History summarises the story of the area and reveals previously unknown facts about one of Derbyshire's most popular tourist destinations.
From the outset this was a place of arguments and disputes, initially caused by Sir Richard Arkwright; if he had had his way the wharf would not be where it is today but closer to the road bridge across the Derwent. Fortunately the canal company ignored him (at the expense of having to pay him compensation!).
Anyone who knows or plans to visit the wharf will learn much from this definitive 24-page full colour guide.
Copies are available at just £3 (plus £1 p&p) from the online shop at www.birdswood.org or by post from Friends of the Cromford Canal, 264 Bennett Street, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 4JA.
NEW WALKER'S GUIDE
A new edition of the FCC's perennially popular A Walker's Guide to the Cromford Canal has just been published. This third edition takes on a new form as 'A Walk Through History', guiding you not only along the route of the canal today, but showing you what it used to look like in the past.
There is a public footpath along most of its route, but diversions are necessary in some places, and the footpaths are not always easy to follow.
With this guide you can confidently trace the entire route of the canal from Langley Mill to Pinxton and Cromford.
The guide breaks the walk down into shorter sections, from one to five miles. Car parks and local public transport services are detailed, and local refreshment stops are listed.
Copies of the new 36-page guide are available at just £5 (plus £1 p&p) from the online shop at www.birdswood.org or by post from Friends of the Cromford Canal, 264 Bennett Street, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 4JA.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
An Update from FCC Executive Secretary John Baylis:
Following the Government’s restrictions on non-essential leisure businesses and the need to practise public separation, along with the requirement for group maxima, all Birdswood boat operations have been cancelled until further notice. The Weighbridge Office Shop will also remain closed and all work parties have been cancelled. This is particularly necessary as many of our volunteers are in the critical age group and/or have long term illnesses.
Our trip boat Birdswood will not operate until the government guidance permits, but we are firmly committed to and are actively planning for recommencing public cruises as soon as we can.
Please keep up to date with our Covid mitigation plans and future cruising schedules by monitoring the following:
FCC website: www.cromfordcanal.info
Birdswood website: www.birdswood.org
Our online shop is open for business: please visit www.birdswood.org/shop
You can send any sales enquiries to sales@cromfordcanal.org
The trustees apologise for having to take these actions and hope that all members and volunteers will stay safe and we can back in action as soon as possible.
John Baylis, BEM,
Executive Secretary,
Friends of the Cromford Canal
BEGGARLEE PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED
After a wait of almost a year and a half, Planning Permission has finally been granted to the extension of the navigable canal north from Langley Mill, through a staircase pair of locks, under the A610 and through to its original course at Stoney Lane, Brinsley.
You can download the press release here, and see an earlier outline video presentation here.
More details will be published in the next issue of FCC's quarterly magazine Portal, out in the second week of September.
AGM - Trustees Elected
Six trustees were elected to serve the Friends of the Cromford Canal at the AGM on 15th April 2019. In all there were seven candidates for the six places and the voting was as follows in alpahbetical order:
Peter Astles - 83
John Barker - 112
John Baylis - 108
Sean Dodds - 98
Ian Hooker - 117
Hugh Potter - 138
Robert Sears-Piccavey - 105
The two Johns, Sean, Ian, Hugh and Robert were therefore elected.
Beggarlee Planning Application
The Friends of the Cromford Canal is excited to announce that a cross-border planning application has been submitted to Broxtowe and Amber Valley Borough Councils to extend the navigable Cromford Canal north from the existing terminus at Langley Mill.
The application can be viewed on the planning websites for both authorities,with reference 19/00139/FUL for Broxtowe and reference AVA/2019/0179 for Amber Valley.
Your support for these proposals would be greatly appreciated.
Restoration Principles - Views Wanted
Members will have read in the Portal about the 'Restoration Principles' developed by the Strategic Restoration Committee. Along with the Principles themselves, you can now also read a few items of additional commentary to help explain them. The SRC would love to get members' comments - read more here
World Heritage Site News
The latest issue of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site News is available to download here. See page 11 for reports on Birdswood and FCC activities.
Cromford Canal goes up in the (Historic) World
In the latest publication on canals by Heritage England, the Cromford Canal is scored 4 for historic importance (on a scale of 0 to 5, with very few on the top grade of 5, and all of those much longer waterways). Interestingly, this compares with the former British Waterways grading of Low (their lowest grade).
The main document is a fascinating appraisal of different aspects of canal architecture. The appendix itemises every canalside listed building and scheduled monument in Britain. If you want some bedtime reading, this should keep you happy for hours!
You can find details and download copies here.
One curiosity is that they refer to the High Peak Aqueduct as 'Tunnel Aqueduct'; has anyone heard it called that before? Presumably the name relates to the adjacent Leawood (railway) tunnel.
Grant for Coir Rolls
FCC has been awarded a grant for the installation of Coir Rolls along the towpath edge between Cromford and High Peak Junction. Work has already begun. A report has been published in Towpath Talk.
Volunteers wanted to help maintain and restore canal
An FCC request for helpers on the canal was picked up by the local press. If you can help, please contact John Barker.
You can read the press report here.
Latest Ironville & Codnor Park News
You can catch up with the latest happening on and around the canal in Ironville & Codnor Park here.
ON THE BOATS
FCC is delighted to have been given permission to publish the recollections of Les Mason about his journeys on the horse-drawn narrow boats carrying coal from Hartshay to Cromford in the early 1930s, the last years of their operation. The boats operated a regular twice-weekly service, with two loaded boats being pulled by a single horse. Most boats went to Cromford Wharf but some went down the Nightingale, or Lea, arm to unload at the wharf at the end.
Les also recalls the locomotives that shunted the wagons at Hartshay Colliery and much about the local village when pubs, collieries and canal were all still working.
The story is fully illustrated with maps and images of the boats and of the canal as it was over 80 years ago.
Published in time to help fill the Christmas stocking, the book costs just £5 (£6 inc p&p) from FCC Sales, Weighbridge Office, Gothic Warehouse, Mill Road, Cromford DE4 3RQ. You can also order it online through the associated Birdwood shop website.
Derbyshire Heritage Awards 2016
FCC was presented with the Judges’ Special Award at the Derbyshire Heritage Awards 2016 at Crich Tramway Museum on 7th October.
It was awarded to recognise the contribution of FCC volunteers in restoring the Cromford Canal and providing events so that visitors can enjoy this historic and scenic area.
The Awards are run by the Derbyshire Museums and Heritage Forum and celebrate all the work taking place in museums, historic houses and heritage sites across the county.
FREE MAP DOWNLOAD
Waterway Routes, the well-known and much respected canal map publisher, has made available a detailed map of the Cromford Canal (along with the Derby, Erewash, Nutbrook and Nottingham canals) free to download from their website. An example of the kind of detail in the map can be seen on this extract. What's more, regular updates are made, so maps are kept up to date (hopefully as more becomes navigable!). You can find the download page by clicking the images below.
BIRDSWOOD AND BIRDS
The regular passage of trip boat Birdswood had had no effect on birdlife on the canal. This is reported in a Breeding Birds Survey undertaken from 2013 to 2015, recently made to the Cromford Canal Partnership. The summary details follow and the full report can be downloaded here.
The partnership instructed that a suite of
ecological surveys be undertaken to assess any impact of the operation of the
trip boat Birdswood on sensitive habitats and species. This included a
Breeding Birds Survey with field work undertaken in the spring and summer of
2013 before Birdswood was operational, and repeated in 2014 and 2015.
The objective of the survey was to evaluate whether over this time there was a
difference in:
The overall abundance of birds present in the canal corridor between
Cromford Wharf and Derwent Aqueduct.
The diversity of species present.
The diversity and abundance of birds using the canal channel or margins
for breeding.
The survey found that although the abundance and diversity of birds recorded
was not remarkable, over the three year survey period the numbers in all three
assessment categories remained broadly steady.
Analysis of the data suggests that there has been no measurable impact on
birds which can be specifically attributed to the operation of the trip boat.
The report acknowledges the sensitivity of the site to a number of disturbance
factors and recommends measures to continue to operate the trip boat under
strict conditions and undertake sensitive habitat management.
NEW BIRDSWOOD WEB SITE
A brand new website has been set up for FCC's trip boat Birdswood. Full details of schedules, prices, special events and much more are available there. Check it out now here.
IWA RAFFLE WINNERS
FCC AWARDED £1,329
FCC Members will recall receiving raffle tickets to sell in aid of national restoration, the proceeds of which were divided between participating societies. This year the raffle raised over £14,000 and FCC came third in the list of ticket sales, beaten only by the WRG Van Appeal and the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust. Well done to all of you who worked so hard to sell tickets. Full details here.
TOWPATH TALK AT CROMFORD
The latest edition of the popular free inland waterway newspaper Towpath Talk is now available at FCC's Weighbridge Shop at Cromford Wharf. The shop is open 11am to 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays from now until Christmas. The shop also stocks a range of local craft items that make ideal Christmas presents - and remember all profits go to the future restoration of the Cromford Canal.
TYRES CLEARED FROM CANAL
For some months Birdswood has been hitting an underwater object in the canal close to the former Cromford Garden Centre. The FCC work party on Tuesday 13th October "waded in" to solve the problem, thanks to diver John Sparham, suitably kitted in dry suit. It turned out not to be a large log as thought, but a large vehicle tyre, which proved difficult to shift as it was full of silt. Investigation further down the canal produced a similar tyre! If you would like to help with future work parties to help keep Birdswood running, please contact John Barker.
CROMFORD WEIGHBRIDGE OFFICE: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Following the successful agreement of a lease of the former Wheatcroft's weighbridge office on the Mill Road end of the Gothic Warehouse on Cromford Wharf, volunteers are needed to 'man' the office as a 'shop front' for FCC and Birdswood. If you think this could be for you please contact Vix Wilding.
The shop is now open for business, so do drop in next time you are in Cromford.
CROMFORD CANAL COMPANY MINUTES BOOK
Derbyshire Record Society has published the first volume of the Minutes of the Cromford Canal Co. More details.
FCC RECEIVES £2500 FROM SEVERN TRENT
FCC was delighted to recive a cheque for £2500 for restoration work on the Sawmills Gauging Narrows. More details
ANOTHER TUNNEL SCHEDULED
English Heritage has scheduled Fritchley Tunnel on the Butterley Company's gangroad. More details
FCC WINS TOP RAFFLE AWARD
Friends of the Cromford Canal sold more IWA raffle tickets than any other group and recently received a cheque for £1,200. More details.
