Potted History

The Derby canal was legally closed in 1964, having failed commercially from the 1930s to compete with rail and road freight. The original route had an arm which went from the north side of the river to the village of Little Eaton, a section that has been almost completely redeveloped. Coal was brought from the coaling villages in mid Derbyshire by a tram road, invented by Derbyshire engineer Benjamin Outram. The wagons were pulled by horses and then lifted from the wheel sets onto the boats. It is thought to be the first example of containerisation in the world. Another Benjamin Outram world 1st was to be found in Derby, where the world's first cast iron aqueduct was to be found carrying the Derby Canal over the Markeaton Brook. The canal served the Derby Silk Mills, now a world heritage site.

The Society and Trust has a mission to restore the canal  to navigation, the canal was authorised by the Derby Canal Act of 1793, and now requires planning permission and a Transport & Works Act to enable reinstatement.