Nutbrook

As Malcolm and I were walking along the old Nutbrook Canal the other day, we could see evidence of the old canal structure.

This was once the site of a lock gate and it is easy to see the grooves in the stone sides of the canal, where the lock gates would once have been housed.

Built to serve the collieries of Shipley and West Hallam, it was completed in 1796. Most of it was closed in 1895, although the final 1.5 miles remained in use until 1949.
I think this lock was known as the Limekiln Lock. The canal was never used to it's capacity and in 1821, at the height of it's usage, it was only carrying about nine laden boats each day.
Only a short section of the canal still has water but it is particularly nice to walk along when the weather is nice - and it's dry under foot!