 |
| Browns Lock |
Setting off from Shireoaks along the Chesterfield Canal towards Kiveton Park railway station, having quickly explored some of the historic buildings in the village, after a few hundred metres I came to Boundary Lock - added at the time of a restoration to remedy the effects of mining subsidence on the water levels of the Ryton Aqueduct.
 |
| Boundary Lock |
I have very much to learn about the canals in Britain but, as a geologist, I am very aware of William Smith's connection with them when he created the first geological map and, looking at the British Geological Survey Map Viewer, I was very interested to see that the Chesterfield Canal here follows the line of the Spa Fault - an important fault that I previously seen at Spa Farm in Treeton.
 |
| The position of Turnerwood on the Spa Fault |
Crossing the River Ryton at the Ryton Aqueduct and walking up the towpath towards Turnerwood, the 1854 Ordnance Survey map shows a series of old quarries and lime kilns in the Permian Cadeby Formation to the south. To the north, the strata are downthrown and there is a noticeable drop down to Burnt Wood, which is underlain by marl of the Edlington Formation.
 |
| A view of the River Ryton |
The map also shows various limestone quarries alongside the canal from the east side of Pudding Dike Bridge to the area around Kiveton Park station, which was once known as Dog Kennels, as well as a brickfield and a sand pit.
 |
| Limestone quarries on the 1854 map |
I don’t know exactly where the materials used to build the locks and bridges along this stretch of the canal were obtained, but limestone, marl and sand - for stone masonry, bricks and hydraulic lime mortar – are all readily available from the Permian strata nearby.
 |
| Granite setts |
At Bridge 37, hard wearing granite setts have been used to surface the road across the bridge and at very many of the locks, rows of setts have been embedded in the bank to enable the lock tenters to get a secure footing when opening and closing the lock gates.
 |
| Views along the Turnerwood Flight |
Walking up the Turnerwood Flight of seven locks, trees on either side of the canal prevented me from getting a look at the surrounding landscape and I just enjoyed the steady walk along the towpath, which I shared with walkers, runners and cyclists of all ages.
 |
| A view across lowland formed by the Edlington Formation |
At Turnerwood, there are views down to the vale occupied by the Edlington Formation, with the higher ground in the distance formed by the Cadeby Formation and, carrying on up the Thorpe Flight of locks, I was interested in the name Brickyard Double Lock. The lock passes through the middle of the outcrop of the Edlington Formation here, where the marl is suited to making bricks, but I have not seen any evidence of this on old Ordnance Survey or LiDAR maps.
 |
| Views along the Thorpe Flight |
Continuing futher up the Thorpe Flight, I encountered a boat that was just about to enter Thorpe Middle Lock, where I stopped to observe the various procedures required when operating the various gates and paddles.
 |
| Instructions for using a lock |
I was particularly interested to see how long it took to pass through the lock, especially since 22 locks have to be navigated in ascending the 30 metres from Ryton Aqueduct to Thorpe Top Treble Lock over a distance of approximately 2 km as the crow flies.
 |
| A boat entering Thorpe Middle Lock |
This apparently takes about four hours today with lock tenters but, even if this is a bit quicker than with horse drawn boats, the time is quite negligible, given that a load of stone took on average two weeks to move from Anston Quarry to the site of the new Houses of Parliament in the 1840's - via the River Trent, the Humber, the North Sea and the River Thames.
Over 14000 cubic metres of limestone were sent to London for its construction, with 400 tons being shipped each month for the first few years. With many other commodities, including lead and coal, also being moved along the 74 km length of the Chesterfield Canal at the same time, it must have been a hive of activity – especially with boats also making the return journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment