Welcome to the Chesterfield Canal - Tapton, UK - UK Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Welcome to the Chesterfield Canal

Managing the Chesterfield Canal
Our main aim is to care for the natural features that make it special while keeping it safe for you.

The canal banks are are also managed by leaving pockets of grasses and flowers which provide food and shelter for a variety of insects, birds and small mammals.

if you see our Countryside staff working in the area, stop and talk to them and find out what they are doing. Call into the visitor centre at Tapton Lock if you'd like to know more about helping us to care for the canal.

Why is the Chesterfield Canal so special?
Completed in 1777, the Chesterfield Canal was one of the first to be built at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The canal was the M1 of its day. Now the industry has gone and the canal provides an oasis right on the edge of town, for both people and wildlife.

As you sit or walk along beside the canal, you'll find it hard to believe you are so close to main arterial roads and railway lines.

Some of those original 1777 features still exist... Tapton Mill Bridge behind you was here then as was the weir to your left. Close your eyes and imagine the sound of the horse trotting over the bridge and the boatmen shouting to each other...

Most of the stonework at the side of the canal is original; can you imagine how difficult it must have been to cut and move into place those huge pieces of stone? Stone cutting equipment in 1777 was a hammer and chisel and lifting was probably with block and tackle!

We've been working very hard to keep it special and have been rewarded with a coveted Green Flag. These are awarded by Keep Britain Tidy; you might have seen a Blue Flag at the seaside. a Green Flag is the equivalent, but for Parks and Countryside.

What could I find?
The canal corridor is a haven for wildlife.

Look out for the Kingfisher as it darts along the canal and Dragon and Damsel flies resting on reeds or hunting for food along the edges. Listen for the plop of a water vole and watch it swim to its burrow on the far bank of the canal. These shy creatures are on the Endangered Species List, so if you see one, call into the visitor centre and tell us where you saw it.

Chesterfield Canal Partnership
The Chesterfield Canal Partnership champions and co-ordinates the preservation, restoration and sustainable development of the Canal for its historical, ecological and recreational value and for its potential to attract tourism and business development.

The Partnership brings together local authorities, statutory and non-statutory bodies, voluntary sector and private enterprise.

The Chesterfield Canal Trust
Since 1977, the Chesterfield Canal Trust has campaigned for the full restoration of the waterway as a public amenity and "waterway for all" - encouraging use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders, canoeists, rowers and of course boaters. Working with partners across the region, the Canal Trust has been a leading force in a restoration programme which has since 2000, delivered 12 miles of canal, 11 bridges and 36 locks. Now only 8.5 miles remain to be restored.