Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association


AWCC Club of the Month – April 2009

We are the Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association (ECP&DA).

We were formed in 1968 to try and save the Erewash Canal from closure after the 1965 and 1967 Transport Act. As the name implies we are more than a boat club and wearing our other hat we have worked on many other canals helping with restoration and bringing them back to life.

Where we meet

The headquarters of the Association

The headquarters of the Association

The headquarters of the Association are at Sandiacre Lock Cottage, where on the third Thursday of the month (except in August) we hold our meetings. Although we have all the usual officers, all meetings are open to members, and visitors are made most welcome.

Lock Cottage is open on the Sunday after the meeting, and although not a museum it gives a good insight into how Lock Keepers lived after 1779 when the canal was built.

In more modern times the building resounds to members enjoying events such as a Forties Night or a Pie & Pea weekend.

In 1971 it was decided to commence work at Langley Mill so that at least there would be a terminus basin. Three canals come together here, Erewash, Cromford and Nottingham.

40th Anniversary Rally

40th Anniversary Rally

With a lot of help, and hard work, by 1973, the lock had been restored, the Great Northern Basin dug out with just enough room for boats to enter the basin, thus providing moorings for the Association.

In May 2008, a Boat Rally was held at Langley Mill with over 100 boats attending from all over the country to celebrated 40 years of the Association, and 35 years to the same weekend when the Basin was reopened. All had a great time.

Most of our boats leave Langley Mill in early spring and arrive back early autumn. This enables visiting boaters to stay in the area for a while* if wishing to see the delightful countryside of Derbyshire. *Mooring officer to be contacted. Do come and visit us at Langley Mill, you will be made most welcome. You may even wish to purchase a head of navigation plaque.

Achievments

  • We realised in the early days that there would always be problems with the water supply so a back pumping system was installed to overcome the issue.
  • Lock cottage at Sandiacre was re-roofed and because of break-ins substantial doors and window shutters have been made.
  • We have just about finished an extension on the Cromford Canal which should give an impetus to reinvigorate yet another canal.
  • The swing bridge, which gives access to our moorings was dismantled and totally refurbished with all rotten wood replaced with steel.
  • Recently the Nottingham Toll House has had a big dose of TLC and for that we have been highly commended by Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust.
  • We also built the sanitary station, made the balance beams in our own workshop and are now covering in part of our compound to accommodate yet more work.
Sandiacre Arm

Sandiacre Arm

The Volunteers

The Volunteers

Erewash Canal

Erewash Canal

We are now self certificated to work on BW owned land and that coupled with being the volunteer group for the East Midlands area is a real feather in our caps.

We hope this has given a flavour of what we have done on the Erewash Canal and its terminus at Langley Mill. If you happen to be boating on the Rivers Trent and Soar turn up the Erewash and sample some of the delights which it has to offer. Do not rush and tick it off your list of canals to do but enjoy the rural atmosphere right up to the top. You will be made most welcome.

There is a website which you may wish to look at http://erewashcanalpreservationanddevelopmentassoc.org.uk

We publish our magazine Outlook to members three times a year. There is a guide and a special rally book full of pictures right from the beginning. Both can be purchased from 1 Millfield Road, Kimberley, Notts NG16 2LJ.