Bugsworth Basin is a
canal basin at the terminus of the
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal is a narrow ( gauge) locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.
Route and features
General description
The canal consists of two leve ...
at
Buxworth (formerly Bugsworth) in the valley of the Black Brook, close to
Whaley Bridge. It was once a busy interchange with the
Peak Forest Tramway, for the transport of
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and burnt lime.
Work on the restoration of the derelict Bugsworth Basin, a
Scheduled Ancient Monument since 1977,
commenced in 1968. Volunteers of the
Inland Waterways Protection Society (IWPS) helped by the
Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) and many locals restored parts of this important site over three decades. The IWPS obtained a 50-year lease in 1992, which allowed them to restore, manage and operate the basin. Funding for the improvements came from
British Waterways, the European Regional Development Fund and a Derelict Land Grant from Derbyshire County Council. The basin was reopened to boats at Easter 1999, and a significant increase in the use of the canal occurred. However, this was the first time that powered boats had used the basin, and the dry-stone walling with
clay puddling deteriorated rapidly. Walls collapsed, there were several near breaches, and a breach resulted in the basin closing again in October 1999. British Waterways restored pedestrian access to the basin by carrying out emergency repairs.
In 2005 the basin reopened to boat traffic after a £1.2 million restoration, undertaken by
British Waterways working with the IWPS. Work included sealing the bottom of the basin to stop leakage, stonework repair and environmental measures to conserve the site's protected
water vole population. Although restoration and reopening of the basin has been achieved, waterways enthusiasts want to make future improvements and developments. These include an interpretative exhibition about Bugsworth's history and reopening part of the tramway.
Bugsworth Basin was officially reopened on 26 March 2005 when 94 narrowboats attended the opening ceremony. The opening was performed by
Tom Levitt, the then member of parliament for
High Peak.
North Cheshire Cruising Club, Bugsworth Rally
Retrieved 2 January 2010
The basin is on the fringe of the Peak District National Park and the purpose of the restoration was to develop this industrial heritage site as a tourist centre.
See also
* Canals of Great Britain
* List of canal basins in Great Britain
* Listed buildings in Chinley, Buxworth and Brownside
References
External links
Information On Bugsworth BasinImages of England listingInland Waterways Protection Society - More informationGoogle Earth air view of Bugsworth Basin
Google Earth ground view (looking upstream)
{{Coord, 53.33490, N, 1.96843, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SK022820), display=title
Canals in England
Canal basins in England and Wales
Scheduled monuments in Derbyshire
Canals in Derbyshire