Cromford Canal

A lovely day today, almost Spring like, lets hope the awful weather is now behind us.

We were determined to take a walk but didn't want to be ankle deep in mud so decided on the relative dry and flat path along the Cromford Canal from Whatstandwell to Cromford and back. It was lovely, and with coots collecting sticks ready for nesting it really felt like the next season is just around the corner.

The canal at parts runs parrallel with the A6, the railway and the R. Derwent and some lovely cottages, it is very rural and is steeped with industrial history.

The blip is of The Leawood Pump House, built in 1849 to supply water to the canal.

It is 45 feet tall from the bank of the River Derwent below, and the chimney is 95-foot with a cast-iron cap. Inside is a beam engine pump (which can transfer over 39,000 tons of water per 24 hours) was needed because there were restrictions on removing water from the Derwent river, this being allowed only between 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 p.m. on Sundays (when the mills were closed and didn't require the flow from the river).

The pumphouse worked continuously from 1849 until 1944 when the canal closed. It was restored and still runs periodically thanks to volunteers.

No trouble with the flow of the river at the moment !!