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Cromford Canal (narrow gauge, un-navigable)

Information about the waterway

The Cromford Canal (narrow gauge, un-navigable) is a narrow canal and is part of the Cromford Canal. It runs for 10 miles and 5¼ furlongs from Cromford Wharf (which is a dead end) to Butterley Tunnel (eastern entrance) (where it joins the Cromford Canal (broad gauge, un-navigable)).

The exact dimensions of the largest boat that can travel on the waterway are not known. The maximum headroom is not known. The maximum draught is not known.

Notable features of the waterway include Leawood Aqueduct and Butterley Tunnel

The narrow gauge went from the eastern end of Butterley tunnel and is lock free to Cromford.

This waterway is excluded by default from route planning with the following explanation: "closed"

Relevant publications — Waterway Maps:

Cromford Wharf End of Navigation
Cromford Winding Hole	¾ furlongs	0 locks
Lawn Bridge No 1	2½ furlongs	0 locks
Railway End Bridge No 2	1 mile and 1¾ furlongs	0 locks
Leawood Pumphouse	1 mile and 3½ furlongs	0 locks
Leawood Aqueduct (northwestern end)	1 mile and 3½ furlongs	0 locks
Leawood Aqueduct (southeastern end)	1 mile and 4¼ furlongs	0 locks
Leawood Junction with derelct Leawood Branch	1 mile and 4¼ furlongs	0 locks
Towpath Swing Bridge No 6	1 mile and 4½ furlongs	0 locks
High Peak Aqueduct No 7 Not Navigable, Under restoration when last visited	1 mile and 6½ furlongs	0 locks
Gregory Tunnel No 8 (western entrance)	2 miles and 3 furlongs	0 locks
Gregory Tunnel (eastern entrance)	2 miles and 3¼ furlongs	0 locks
Lea Shaw Bridge No 9	2 miles and 5 furlongs	0 locks
Simm's Bridge No 12	3 miles and ¾ furlongs	0 locks
Whatstandwell Bridge No 13	3 miles and 3 furlongs	0 locks
Crich Council Footbridge No 13a	3 miles and 4 furlongs	0 locks
Crich Chase Bridge No 14	5 miles and 3¾ furlongs	0 locks
Road Bridge No 32a	8 miles and 2¾ furlongs	0 locks
Butterley Tunnel (western entrance)	8 miles and 6 furlongs	0 locks
Butterley Tunnel (eastern entrance)	10 miles and 5¼ furlongs	0 locks

Maps

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Additional information

Navigational Notes

External websites

Friends of the Cromford Canal — associated with Cromford Wharf: Including tripboat information

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has a page about Cromford Canal

The Cromford Canal ran 14.5 miles (23.3 kilometres) from Cromford to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire, England with a branch to Pinxton. Built by William Jessop with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, its alignment included four tunnels and 14 locks.

From Cromford it ran south following the 275-foot (84 m) contour line along the east side of the valley of the Derwent to Ambergate, where it turned eastwards along the Amber valley. It turned sharply to cross the valley, crossing the river and the Ambergate to Nottingham road, by means of an aqueduct at Bullbridge, before turning towards Ripley. From there the Butterley Tunnel took it through to the Erewash Valley.

From the tunnel it continued to Ironville, the junction for the branch to Pinxton, and then descended through fourteen locks to meet the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill. The Pinxton Branch became important as a route for Nottinghamshire coal, via the Erewash, to the River Trent and Leicester and was a terminus of the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway.

A 6-mile (9.7 km) long section of the Cromford canal between Cromford and Ambergate is listed as a Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Local Nature Reserve.

In addition to purely canal traffic, there was a lively freight interchange with the Cromford and High Peak Railway, which traversed the plateau of the Peak District from Whaley Bridge in the north west, and which descended to the canal at High Peak Junction by means of an inclined plane.

Other Wikipedia pages that might relate to Cromford Canal

[Cromford and High Peak Railway] The Cromford and High Peak Railway (C&HPR) was a standard-gauge line between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at [Cromford] Cromford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, in the valley of the River Derwent between Wirksworth and Matlock. It is first mentioned [Cromford Mill] Cromford Mill is the world's first water-powered cotton spinning mill, developed by Richard Arkwright in 1771 in Cromford, Derbyshire, England. The mill [Derwent Valley Mills] housing, and structures associated with the mill communities. The Cromford Canal and Cromford and High Peak Railway, which aided the industrialisation of the [Erewash Canal] has 14 locks. The first lock at Langley Bridge is part of the Cromford Canal. The canal obtained its act of parliament in 1777 with John Varley appointed [High Peak Junction] Peak Railway (C&HPR), whose workshops were located here, meets the Cromford Canal. It lies within Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, designated [Peak District] The Cromford Canal, from Cromford to the Erewash Canal, served lead mines at Wirksworth and Sir Richard Arkwright's cotton mills. The Caldon Canal from [Nottingham Canal] the Cromford Canal. The committee called upon the services of the surveyor William Jessop, who had experience with the successful Cromford Canal. A possible [Butterley Tunnel] Butterley Tunnel is a 3,083-yard (2,819 m) disused canal tunnel on the Cromford Canal below Ripley, in Derbyshire, England, opened to traffic in 1794.

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