129-590: The Erewash Canal / ˈ ɛr ə w ɒ ʃ / is a broad canal in Derbyshire , England . It runs just under 12 miles (19 km) and has 14 locks . The first lock at Langley Bridge is part of the Cromford Canal . The canal obtained its act of Parliament, the Erewash Canal Act 1777 ( 17 Geo. 3 . c. 69), with John Varley appointed as engineer and John and James Pinkerton
258-477: A unitary authority area of the City of Derby. Derby remains part of Derbyshire only for ceremonial purposes. Derbyshire has become fractionally smaller during government reorganisation over the years. The Sheffield suburbs Woodseats, Beauchief, Handsworth, Woodhouse, Norton, Mosborough , Totley , Bradway and Dore were previously parts of the county, but were lost to Sheffield between 1900 and 1933; Mosborough
387-464: A band of Triassic Sherwood sandstone at Sandon, and it meets the same sandstone again as it flows beside Cannock Chase, between Great Haywood and Armitage, there is also another outcrop between Weston-on-Trent and King's Mill. Downstream of Armitage the solid geology is primarily Mercia Mudstones , the course of the river following the arc of these mudstones as they pass through the Midlands all
516-631: A bryophyte flora for Derbyshire still continues: by 2012 a total of 518 bryophyte species had been recorded for the county. Botanical recording in the UK predominantly uses the unchanging vice-county boundary system, which results in a slightly different map of Derbyshire from the modern geographic county. A number of specialist organisations protect, promote and monitor records of individual animal groups across Derbyshire. The main ones are Derbyshire Ornithological Society; Derbyshire Mammal Group; Derbyshire Bat Group, Derbyshire Amphibian and Reptile Group, and
645-690: A considerable deterioration in the water quality of both the Trent and its tributaries, especially the Tame. To bring clean water to the West Midlands, Birmingham Corporation created a large reservoir chain and aqueduct system to bring water from the Elan Valley . Underlying the upper reaches of the Trent, are formations of Millstone Grit and Carboniferous Coal Measures which include layers of sandstones, marls and coal seams. The river crosses
774-594: A grander design, diverting the river east towards the Wash such that he would benefit from a much larger share of the divided Kingdom. Downstream of Burton upon Trent , the river increasingly trends northwards, cutting off a portion of Nottinghamshire and nearly all of Lincolnshire from his share, north of the Trent. The idea for this scene, may have been based on the disagreement regarding a mill weir near Shelford Manor , between local landowners Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury , and Sir Thomas Stanhope which culminated with
903-703: A long diversion channel being dug to bypass the mill. This took place in 1593 so would have been a contemporary topic in the Shakespearean period. During the Pleistocene epoch (1.7 million years ago), the River Trent rose in the Welsh hills and flowed almost east from Nottingham through the present Vale of Belvoir to cut a gap through the limestone ridge at Ancaster and thence to the North Sea. At
1032-415: A long period. Lead, for example, has been mined since Roman times. The limestone outcrops in the central area led to the establishment of large quarries to supply the industries of surrounding towns with lime for building and steelmaking , and latterly in the 20th-century cement manufacture. The Industrial Revolution also increased demand for building stone , and in the late 19th and early 20th-century,
1161-505: A low pressure weather system, produced elevated tidal river levels in the lower reaches. The resulting surge overtopped the flood defences in the area near Keadby and Burringham, flooding 50 properties. The fifth largest flood recorded at Nottingham occurred in November 2000 , with widespread flooding of low-lying land along the Trent valley, including many roads and railways. The flood defences around Nottingham and Burton constructed during
1290-535: A number of sensitive species are now being seen to be either expanding or contracting their range as a result. For the purposes of protecting and recording the county's most important habitats, Derbyshire has been split into two regions, each with its own Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), based around National Character Areas. The Peak District BAP includes all of Derbyshire's uplands of the Dark Peak, South-West Peak and White Peak, including an area of limestone beyond
1419-565: A population of 1,053,316. The east of the county is more densely populated than the west, and contains the county's largest settlements: Derby (261,400), Chesterfield (88,483), and Swadlincote (45,000). For local government purposes Derbyshire comprises a non-metropolitan county , with eight districts, and the Derby unitary authority area. The East Midlands Combined County Authority includes Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council. The north and centre of Derbyshire are hilly and contain
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#17327725386121548-532: A population of 770,600 lived in the county with 248,752 (32%) living in Derby. Although Derbyshire is officially part of the East Midlands statistical region, parts of the county are often considered to be culturally in Northern England , such as Chesterfield and Glossop. The table below shows all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants. During a series of administrative boundary changes during
1677-571: A quarter of the total flow for the Trent, with the other significant tributaries being the Derwent at 18%, Soar 17%, the Dove 13%, and the Sow 8%. Four of these main tributaries, including the Dove and Derwent which drain the upland Peak District, all join within the middle reaches, giving rise to a comparatively energetic river system for the UK. Rainfall in the catchment generally follows topography with
1806-634: A rapid thaw. Due to the size of the flood and the ice entrained in the flow, nearly every bridge along the Trent was badly damaged or washed away. The bridges at Wolseley, Wychnor and the main span at Swarkestone were all destroyed. In Nottingham, residents of Narrow Marsh were trapped by the floodwaters in their first floor rooms, boats were used to take supplies to those stranded. Livestock was badly affected, 72 sheep drowned in Wilford and ten cows were lost in Bridgford. The vulnerable flood bank at Spalford
1935-558: A short section of the Cromford Canal connected to the basin. Today the Erewash Canal is fully open and is actively used by pleasure cruisers. At present [2006] the section of canal running through Long Eaton is oft frequented by pleasure craft; the factories which follow the canal along the Northern march of the town are no longer associated with the waterway, and fencing separates them from it. However, these factories only block
2064-411: A significant part of Derbyshire's economy, as did coal mining. Lead mining has been important here since Roman Times. The more recent river gravels of the Trent valley remain a significant extractive industry today in south Derbyshire, as does the mining of limestone rock in central and northern parts of the county. Coarse sandstones were once extensively quarried both for local building materials and for
2193-475: A single season, and depths of 1.5 metres (5 ft) have been accumulated over time at some locations. A number of the smaller Trent tributaries are still named as warping drains, such as Morton warping drain, near Gainsborough. Warp was also used as a commercial product, after being collected from the river banks at low tide, it was transported along the Chesterfield Canal to Walkeringham where it
2322-554: A total of 82 route miles (132 km) were upgraded to Cruising Waterway Standard. At the turn of the twentieth century Shipley Wharf directly above Shipley Lock was very busy with the transhipment of coal from railway wagons which had descended an incline from the Shipley Collieries to narrowboats on the Erewash Canal. There was also a much earlier wagonway which connected the Shipley collieries to Shipley wharf between
2451-500: A well-documented example being the meander cutoff at Sawley . The river's propensity to change course is referred to in Shakespeare 's play Henry IV, Part 1 : Methinks my moiety, north from Burton here, In quantity equals not one of yours: See how this river comes me cranking in, And cuts me from the best of all my land A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out. I'll have the current in this place damm'd up; And here
2580-482: Is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester , West Yorkshire , and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south and west, and Cheshire to the west. Derby is the largest settlement, and Matlock is the county town. The county has an area of 2,625 km (1,014 sq mi) and
2709-665: Is crossed by the A38 road dual carriageway, which follows the route of the Roman Ryknild Street . The river turns north-east where it is joined by its largest tributary, the River Tame (which is at this point actually the larger, though its earlier length shorter) and immediately afterwards by the River Mease , creating a larger river that now flows through a broad floodplain. The river continues north-east, passing
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#17327725386122838-431: Is described on an old map as 'Old Trent Water', records show that this was once the main navigable route, with the river having switched to a more northerly course in the 18th century. Farther downstream at Hemington , archaeologists have found the remains of a medieval bridge across another abandoned channel. Researchers using aerial photographs and historical maps have identified many of these palaeochannel features,
2967-788: Is joined by the River Erewash near the Attenborough nature reserve and enters Nottinghamshire . As it enters the city, it passes the suburbs of Beeston , Clifton and Wilford ; where it is joined by the Leen. On reaching West Bridgford it flows beneath Trent Bridge near the cricket ground of the same name, and beside The City Ground , home of Nottingham Forest F.C. , until it reaches Holme Sluices . Downstream of Nottingham it passes Radcliffe-on-Trent , Stoke Bardolph and Burton Joyce before reaching Gunthorpe with its bridge, lock and weir. The river now flows north-east below
3096-615: Is that of Izaak Walton, who states in The Compleat Angler (1653) that the Trent is "... so called from thirty kind of fishes that are found in it, or for that it receiveth thirty lesser rivers." The Trent rises within the Staffordshire Moorlands district, near the village of Biddulph Moor , from a number of sources including the Trent Head Well. It is then joined by other small streams to form
3225-722: Is the third longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire , on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor . It flows through and drains the North Midlands into the Humber Estuary . The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and spring snowmelt, which in the past often caused the river to change course. The river passes through Stoke-on-Trent , Stone, Staffordshire , Rugeley , Burton-upon-Trent and Nottingham before joining
3354-729: The Avon to the south and west, the Weaver to the north-west, the tributaries of the Yorkshire Ouse to the North and the basins of the Welland , Witham and Ancholme to the east. A distinctive feature of the catchment is the marked variation in the topography and character of the landscape, which varies from the upland moorland headwaters of the Dark Peak , where the highest point of
3483-731: The EFL Championship , the second tier of English football. The next highest-placed team is Chesterfield , which participates in EFL League Two , the fourth tier of English football. There are also many non-league teams playing throughout the county, most notably Alfreton Town , which plays in the National League North . The county is currently home to the world's oldest football club, Sheffield F.C. , which plays in Dronfield in north-east Derbyshire. Glossop
3612-499: The East Midlands Combined Authority , and elected the first Mayor of the East Midlands in the 2024 East Midlands Mayoral Election . The Derbyshire school system is comprehensive with no selective schools. The independent sector includes Repton School , Trent College and The Elms School . There are several towns in the county, with Derby the largest and most populous. At the time of the 2011 census,
3741-653: The Repton area. Following the Norman Conquest , much of the county was subject to the forest laws . To the northwest was the Forest of High Peak under the custodianship of William Peverel and his descendants. The rest of the county was bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers , a part of it becoming Duffield Frith . In time the whole area was given to the Duchy of Lancaster . Meanwhile, the Forest of East Derbyshire covered
3870-699: The River Ouse, Yorkshire at Trent Falls to form the Humber Estuary, which empties into the North Sea between Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire and Immingham in Lincolnshire. The wide Humber estuary has often been described as the boundary between the Midlands and the north of England. The name "Trent" is possibly from a Romano-British word meaning "strongly flooding". More specifically,
3999-785: The River Trent at Trent Lock , then goes through Long Eaton . After Long Eaton it runs roughly parallel to the River Erewash , past Sandiacre and Ilkeston , crossing the Erewash near Eastwood . The canal finally ends at the Langley Mill (Great Northern) basin, where it joins the Nottingham Canal and the Cromford Canal (both currently in a state of abandonment). In 1968 the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association (ECP&DA)
Erewash Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
4128-539: The Roman conquest of Britain , the invaders were attracted to Derbyshire for its lead ore in the limestone hills of the area. They settled throughout the county, with forts built near Brough in the Hope Valley and near Glossop . Later they settled round Buxton , famed for its warm springs, and set up a fort near modern-day Derby in an area now known as Little Chester . Several kings of Mercia are buried in
4257-688: The White Peak in the Dove catchment, and the large woodland areas, including Sherwood Forest in the Dukeries area of the Idle catchment, the upland Charnwood Forest , and the National Forest in the Soar and Mease drainage basins respectively. Land use is predominantly rural, with some three-quarters of the Trent catchment given over to agriculture. This ranges from moorland grazing of sheep in
4386-662: The 20th century, settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the administrative areas of Greater Manchester , South Yorkshire , and Staffordshire : Numerous other boundary changes also took place during the course of the 19th century, with county settlements being ceded to the counties of Staffordshire and Leicestershire Because of the size of the county, southern parts of Derbyshire such as Derby, Matlock, Ashbourne and Bakewell are covered by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central in Nottingham , broadcast from Waltham . Northeast Derbyshire, Chesterfield,
4515-556: The Derbyshire & Nottingham Entomological Society. All maintain databases of wildlife sightings, whilst some such as the Derbyshire Ornithological Society provide alerts of rare sightings on their websites or social media pages and also publish major works describing the status and distribution of species. Derbyshire has a mixture of a rural economy in the west, with a former coal-mining economy in
4644-578: The Eastwood Lock can still be seen. The colliery was therefore, well served with transport options with the choice of two canals and two railways to export their coal. The Great Northern Railway branch crossed the Nottingham Canal using a swing bridge. The railway swing bridge no longer exists but the pedestrian bridge built next to it is still in use. Excessive water underground brought about the mine's closure in about 1884. It starts from
4773-617: The Head of Trent, which flows south, to the only reservoir along its course at Knypersley Reservoir . Downstream of the reservoir it passes through Stoke-on-Trent and merges with the Lyme, Fowlea and other brooks that drain the six towns of the Staffordshire Potteries to become the River Trent. On the southern fringes of Stoke, it passes through the landscaped parkland of Trentham Gardens . The river then continues south through
4902-587: The Holocene period, which created lowland mires such as the Thorne and Hatfield Moors . The topography, geology and land use of the Trent catchment all have a direct influence on the hydrology of the river. The variation in these factors is also reflected in the contrasting runoff characteristics and subsequent inflows of the principal tributaries. The largest of these is the River Tame, which contributes nearly
5031-593: The Neolithic henge monument of Arbor Low , which has been dated to 2500 BCE. It is not until the Bronze Age that real signs of agriculture and settlement are found in the county. In the moors of the Peak District signs of clearance, arable fields and hut circles were found after archaeological investigation. However this area and another settlement at Swarkestone are all that have been found. During
5160-502: The Nottinghamshire border. Deposits left in the caves date the occupancy at around 12,000 to 7,000 BCE . Burial mounds of Neolithic settlers are also situated throughout the county. These chambered tombs were designed for collective burial and are mostly located in the central Derbyshire region. There are tombs at Minninglow and Five Wells that date back to between 2000 and 2500 BCE. Three miles west of Youlgreave lies
5289-581: The Nutbrook Canal's water supply instigated the re-laying of rails on the incline and its extension under the Midland Railway's Erewash Valley line and under the Midland Railway's Eastwood Colliery branch line, to Shipley Wharf. Coal was loaded into narrowboats here from 1895 until 1942. The sidings at the wharf were laid in a triangle. The coal wagons descended the incline under braking relying on gravity and accumulated momentum to carry them to
Erewash Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
5418-687: The Peak District LNP and the Lowland Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire LNP. Since 2002, the county flower for Derbyshire has been Jacob's-ladder ( Polemonium caeruleum ), a relatively rare species, and characteristic of certain limestone dales in the White Peak. Derbyshire is known to have contained 1,919 separate taxa of vascular plants (including species, hybrids and micro-species) since modern recording began, of which 1,133 are known to be either native or archaeophyte ,
5547-552: The Peak District National Park. The 11 National Character Areas found within Derbyshire are: Derbyshire's solid geology can be split into two very different halves. The oldest rocks occur in the northern, more upland half of the county, and are mostly of Carboniferous age, comprising limestones , gritstones , sandstones and shales . In its north-east corner to the east of Bolsover , there are also Magnesian Limestone rocks of Permian age. In contrast,
5676-513: The Pleistocene epoch between 450,000 and 12,000 years BP. Contained within these terraces is evidence of the mega fauna that once lived along the river, the bones and teeth of animals such as the woolly mammoth, bison and wolves that existed during colder periods have all been identified. Another notable find in a related terrace system near Derby from a warmer interglacial period, was the Allenton hippopotamus . The lower sequences of these terraces have been widely quarried for sand and gravel, and
5805-424: The Toot and Trent Hills before reaching Hazelford Ferry , Fiskerton and Farndon . To the north of Farndon, beside the Staythorpe Power Station the river splits, with one arm passing Averham and Kelham , and the other arm, which is navigable, being joined by the Devon before passing through the market town of Newark-on-Trent and beneath the town's castle walls. The two arms recombine at Crankley Point beyond
5934-419: The Trent adopted its current course into the Humber. The Trent basin covers a large part of the Midlands, and includes the majority of the counties of Staffordshire , Derbyshire, Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands ; but also includes parts of Lincolnshire , South Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Rutland . The catchment is located between the drainage basins of the Severn and its tributary
6063-464: The Trent between Scunthorpe and Alkborough are also made up of mudstones, but are of the younger Rhaetic Penarth Group . In the wider catchment the geology is more varied, ranging from the Precambrian rocks of the Charnwood Forest, through to the Jurassic limestone that forms the Lincolnshire Edge and the eastern watershed of the Trent. The most important in terms of the river are the extensive sandstone and limestone aquifers that underlie many of
6192-479: The Trent is joined by the Chesterfield Canal and the River Idle and soon after enters Lincolnshire fully, passing to the west of Scunthorpe . The last bridge over the river is at Keadby where it is joined by both the Stainforth and Keadby Canal and the River Torne . Downstream of Keadby the river progressively widens, passing Amcotts and Flixborough to reach Burton upon Stather and finally Trent Falls . At this point, between Alkborough and Faxfleet
6321-476: The Trent, such as Hill Ridware , as well as the Old English‐derived ford . Another translation is given as "the trespasser", referring to the waters flooding over the land. According to Koch at the University of Wales , the name Trent derives from the Romano-British Trisantona , a Romano-British reflex of the combined elements * tri-sent(o)-on-ā- (through-path- augmentative - feminine -) ‘great thoroughfare’. A traditional but almost certainly wrong opinion
6450-448: The UK's largest car manufacturing plants at Burnaston . Ashbourne Water used to be bottled in Buxton by Nestlé Waters UK until 2006 and Buxton Water still is. Derbyshire is one of only three counties permitted to make cheese that is labelled as Stilton cheese . The others are Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire . The smallest of six companies making this product is Hartington Creamery at Pikehall . As of March 2021, Hartington Stilton
6579-414: The arrival of the railways led to a large number of stone quarries being established. This industry has left its mark on the countryside, but is still a major industry: a lot of the stone is supplied as crushed stone for road building and concrete manufacture, and is moved by rail. Derbyshire's relative remoteness in the late 18th century and an abundance of fast-flowing streams led to a proliferation of
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#17327725386126708-432: The autumn being followed by further rainfall, producing flood conditions in November of that year. Another meteorological risk, although one that occurs less often, is that related to the rapid melting of snow lying in the catchment. This can be a result of a sudden rise in temperature after a prolonged cold period, or when combined with extensive rainfall. Many of the largest historical floods were caused by snowmelt, but
6837-551: The average flow rises to 83.8 m /s (2,960 cu ft/s), due to the combined inputs of the other major tributaries namely the Dove, Derwent and Soar. The last point of measurement is North Muskham here the average flow is 88.4 m /s (3,120 cu ft/s), a relatively small increase due to the input of the Devon, and other smaller Nottinghamshire tributaries. The Trent has marked variations in discharge, with long term average monthly flows at Colwick fluctuating from 45 m /s (1,600 cu ft/s) in July during
6966-511: The basin from the Atlantic, especially during the autumn and winter when evaporation is at its lowest. This combination can produce a water-logged catchment that can respond rapidly in terms of runoff, to any additional rainfall. Such conditions occurred in February 1977, with widespread flooding in the lower reaches of the Trent when heavy rain produced a peak flow of nearly 1,000 m /s (35,000 cu ft/s) at Nottingham. In 2000 similar conditions occurred again, with above average rainfall in
7095-413: The best-known. Cemented screes and tufa deposits occur very rarely in the limestone dales and rivers, whilst cave systems have been created naturally in the limestone since Pleistocene times. A recently discovered cave chamber near Castleton , named Titan , is the deepest shaft and biggest chamber of any cave in Britain. The oldest rocks are Lower Carboniferous limestones of Dinantian age, which form
7224-402: The catchment is the Kinder Scout plateau at 634 metres (2,080 ft); through to the intensively farmed and drained flat fenland areas that exist alongside the lower tidal reaches, where ground levels can equal sea level. These lower reaches are protected from tidal flooding by a series of floodbanks and defences. Elsewhere there is a distinct contrast between the open limestone areas of
7353-431: The city and surrounding areas were flooded with 9,000 properties and nearly a hundred industrial premises affected some to first floor height. The suburbs of Long Eaton , West Bridgford and Beeston all suffered particularly badly. Two days later, in the lower tidal reaches of the river, the peak of the flood combined with a high spring tide to flood villages and 2,000 properties in Gainsborough. River levels dropped when
7482-436: The completion of the Erewash Canal in 1779 and the completion of the Nutbrook Canal in 1796, from which point in time the Nutbrook Canal took this traffic. The incline in use at the end of the nineteenth century was originally built to connect the Shipley Collieries, then owned by the Miller-Mundy family with the Midland Railway's Erewash Valley railway line and was operated for this purpose between 1848 and 1870. Problems with
7611-434: The core of the White Peak within the Peak District National Park. Because northern Derbyshire is effectively an uplifted dome of rock layers that have subsequently eroded to expose older rocks in the centre of the Derbyshire Dome , these are encircled by progressively younger limestone rocks, until they in turn give way on three sides to Upper Carboniferous shales, gritstones and sandstones of Namurian age. Younger still are
7740-470: The county and surround large conurbations: Because of its central location in England and altitude range from 27 metres in the south to 636 metres in the north, Derbyshire contains many species at the edge of their UK distribution ranges. Some species with a predominantly northern British distribution are at the southern limit of their range, whilst others with a more southern distribution are at their northern limit in Derbyshire. As climate change progresses,
7869-479: The county is provided by BBC Radio Derby , BBC Radio Sheffield (covering Chesterfield and Bolsover ) and BBC Radio Manchester (covering Glossop, New Miils and Chapel-en-le-Frith). County-wide commercial radio stations are Capital Midlands , Hits Radio East Midlands , Gold , Greatest Hits Radio East Midlands and Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire (for Chesterfield, Matlock and Bakewell). Derbyshire has two Football League teams, Derby County , which plays in
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#17327725386127998-408: The county's highest point at Kinder Scout . The terrain is relatively low-lying across the lower Dove Valley , from the Trent Valley and southwards, the far south of the Derwent Valley and near its eastern borders with Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire . The main rivers in the county are the River Derwent and the River Dove which both join the River Trent in the south. The River Derwent rises in
8127-444: The earliest floods can be assessed by using Spalford bank as a substitute measure for the size of a particular flood, as it has been estimated that the bank only failed when flows were greater than 1,000 m /s (35,000 cu ft/s), the bank was also breached in 1403 and 1795. Early bridges were vulnerable to floods, and in 1309 many bridges were washed away or damaged by severe winter floods, including Hethbeth Bridge. In 1683
8256-476: The eastern High Peak (Hope Valley) and northern area of the Derbyshire Dales ( Tideswell and Hathersage ) are covered by ITV Yorkshire and BBC Yorkshire from Emley Moor , with their ITV News Calendar and Look North programmes, both from Leeds . The western area of the High Peak ( Buxton , Glossop , New Miils and Chapel-en-le-Frith ) is covered by BBC North West from Winter Hill and ITV Granada , both based in Salford . BBC Local Radio for
8385-406: The end of August, and were given a drought return period of greater than one hundred years. The river's flow is measured at several points along its course, at a number of gauging stations . At Stoke-on-Trent in the upper reaches, the average flow is only 0.6 m /s (21 cu ft/s), which increases considerably to 4.4 m /s (160 cu ft/s), at Great Haywood , as it includes
8514-428: The end of the Wolstonian Stage (c. 130,000 years ago) a mass of stagnant ice left in the Vale of Belvoir caused the river to divert north along the old Lincoln river, through the Lincoln gap, along what is now the course of the Witham . During a following glaciation ( Devensian , 70,000 BC) the ice held back vast areas of water – called Glacial Lake Humber – in the current lower Trent basin. When this retreated,
8643-426: The end of the last Devensian glacial period the formation of Lake Humber in the lowest reaches of the river, meant that substantial lake bed clays and silts were laid down to create the flat landscape of the Humberhead Levels . These levels extend across the Trent valley, and include the lower reaches of the Eau, Torne and Idle. In some areas, successive layers of peat were built up above the lacustrine deposits during
8772-464: The entire length of the river, and are an important feature of the middle and lower reaches, with the alluvial river silt producing fertile soils that are used for intensive agriculture in the Trent valley. Beneath the alluvium are widespread deposits of sand and gravel, which also occur as gravel terraces considerably above the height of the current river level. There is thought to be a complex succession of at least six separate gravel terrace systems along
8901-428: The extraction of these minerals continues to be an important industry in the Trent Valley, with some three million tonnes of aggregates being produced each year. Once worked out, the remaining gravel pits which are usually flooded by the relatively high water table have been reused for a wide variety of purposes. These include recreational water activities, and once rehabilitated, as nature reserves and wetlands. During
9030-404: The fact that eighty loads of faggots and upwards of four hundred tons of earth were required to fill up the hole, an operation which took several weeks to complete. The flood bank was subsequently strengthened and repaired, following further floods during 1824 and 1852. The principal flood of the 19th century and the second largest recorded, was in October 1875. In Nottingham a cart overturned in
9159-429: The far south of Derbyshire from Ticknall (limestone) to Swadlincote (coal measures). Some areas of the White Peak exhibit contemporaneous basalt flows (e.g. Ravens Tor at Millers Dale), as well as subsequent dolerite sill intrusion at a much later stage (e.g. near Tideswell Dale), whilst mineralisation of the carboniferous limestone in a subsequent period created extensive lead and fluorite deposits which have formed
9288-419: The floodbank at Morton breached, resulting in the flooding of some 78 sq mi (200 km ; 50,000 acres) of farmland in the Trent valley. Flooding on the Trent can also be caused by the effects of storm surges independently of fluvial flows, a series of which occurred during October and November 1954, resulting in the worse tidal flooding experienced along the lower reaches. These floods revealed
9417-468: The floodwaters near the Wilford Road and six people drowned, dwellings nearby were flooded to a depth of 6 feet (1.8 m). Although not quite as large as 1795 this flood devastated many places along the river, at Burton upon Trent much of the town was inundated, with flooded streets and houses, and dead animals floating past in the flood. Food was scarce, "in one day 10,000 loaves had to be sent into
9546-480: The flow of the upper tributaries draining the Potteries conurbation. At Yoxall , the flow increases to 12.8 m /s (450 cu ft/s) due to the input of larger tributaries including the Sow and Blithe. At Drakelow upstream of Burton the flow increases nearly three-fold to 36.1 m /s (1,270 cu ft/s), due to the additional inflow from the largest tributary the Tame. At Colwick near Nottingham,
9675-666: The furthest point from the sea in the UK. The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited, probably briefly, by humans 200,000 years ago during the Aveley interglacial , as shown by a Middle Paleolithic Acheulean hand axe found near Hopton . Further occupation came with the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age when Mesolithic hunter-gatherers roamed the hilly tundra. Evidence of these nomadic tribes has been found in limestone caves located on
9804-1143: The high moors. The dales of the White Peak are known for habitats such as calcareous grassland , ash woodlands and rock outcrops in all of which a much greater richness of lime-loving species occurs than elsewhere in the county. These include various orchids (such as early purple orchid ( Orchis mascula ), dark-red helleborine ( Epipactis atrorubens ) and fly orchid ( Ophrys insectifera )), common rockrose ( Helianthemum nummularium ), spring cinquefoil ( Helianthemum nummularium ) and grass of parnassus ( Parnassia palustris ). Specialised communities of plants occur on former lead workings, where typical metallophyte species include spring sandwort ( Minuartia verna ), alpine penny-cress ( Thlaspi caerulescens ) (both known locally in Derbyshire as Leadwort), as well as mountain pansy ( Viola lutea ) and moonwort ( Botrychium lunaria ). In 2015, Derbyshire contained 304 vascular plant species now designated as of international, national or local conservation concern, for their rarity or recent declines, and collectively listed as Derbyshire Red Data plants. Work on recording and publishing
9933-471: The highest annual rainfall of 1,450 mm (57 in) and above occurring over the high moorland uplands of the Derwent headwaters to the north and west, with the lowest of 580 mm (23 in), in the lowland areas to the north and east. Rainfall totals in the Tame are not as high as would be expected from the moderate relief, due to the rain shadow effect of the Welsh mountains to the west, reducing amounts to an average of 691 mm (27.2 in) for
10062-712: The last 120 years in a series of four major botanical works, each by different authors between 1889 and 2015, all entitled The Flora of Derbyshire . Plant recording is mainly undertaken locally by volunteers from the Derbyshire Flora Group, and by staff at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Peak District National Park. The Dark Peak is marked by heathlands, bogs, gritstone edges and acid grasslands containing relatively few species, with plants such as heather ( Calluna vulgaris ), crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum ), bilberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus ) and hare's-tail cotton grass ( Eriophorum vaginatum ) being dominant on
10191-477: The last such episode occurred when the bitter winter of 1946-7 was followed by a rapid thaw due to rain in March 1947 and caused severe flooding all along the Trent valley. At the other extreme, extended periods of low rainfall can also cause problems. The lowest flows for the river were recorded during the drought of 1976 , following the dry winter of 1975/6. Flows measured at Nottingham were exceptionally low by
10320-636: The main city of Derby, the largest town in the county is Chesterfield . Derbyshire is also part of multiple combined authorities . The Erewash, Amber Valley and Derby districts are part of the D2N2 partnership with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. The Derbyshire Dales, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield districts are part of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (as non constituent members). Derbyshire County Council and Derby City Council are part of
10449-485: The main contractors, it was completed in 1779 at a cost of £21,000 (£2,545,310 in 2015). It was a commercial success from the start mainly transporting coal . The canal's success kept it going far longer than many of its contemporaries in the face of competition from the railways. When the Grand Union Canal Company took over the running of the Erewash in 1932 it was still a going concern. The canal
10578-419: The major aquifers in the catchment. In the lower tidal reaches the Trent has a high sediment load, this fine silt which is also known as ‘warp', was used to improve the soil by a process known as warping , whereby river water was allowed to flood into adjacent fields through a series of warping drains, enabling the silt to settle out across the land. Up to 0.3 metres (1 ft) of deposition could occur in
10707-582: The majority of the 6 million people who live in the catchment. The majority of these urban areas are in the upper reaches of either the Trent itself, as is the case with Stoke, or its tributaries. For example, Birmingham lies at the upper end of the Tame, and Leicester is located towards the head of the Soar. Whilst this is not unique for an English river, it does mean that there is an ongoing legacy of issues relating to urban runoff , pollution incidents, and effluent dilution from sewage treatment , industry and coal mining. Historically, these issues resulted in
10836-431: The map above. These district councils are responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing , environmental health , markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards , waste disposal and strategic planning are
10965-605: The market town of Stone, and after passing the village of Salt , it reaches Great Haywood , where it is spanned by the 16th-century Essex Bridge near Shugborough Hall . At this point the River Sow joins it from Stafford . The Trent now flows south-east past the town of Rugeley until it reaches Kings Bromley where it meets the Blithe. After the confluence with the Swarbourn, it passes Alrewas and reaches Wychnor, where it
11094-423: The medieval Hethbeth bridge that pre-dated the existing 19th-century crossing. Historic flood levels have also been recorded at Girton and on the churchyard wall at Collingham . One of the earliest recorded floods along the Trent was in 1141, and like many other large historical events was caused by the melting of snow following heavy rainfall, it also caused a breach in the outer floodbank at Spalford . Some of
11223-763: The moorland of Bleaklow and flows throughout the Peak District and county for the majority of its course, while the River Dove rises in Axe Edge Moor and forms a boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire for most of its length. The varied landscapes within Derbyshire have been formed mainly as a consequence of the underlying geology, but also by the way the land has been managed and shaped by human activity. The county contains 11 discrete landscape types, known as National Character Areas , which have been described in detail by Natural England and further refined, mapped and described by Derbyshire County Council and
11352-521: The name may be a contraction of two Romano-British words, tros ("over") and hynt ("way"). This may indeed indicate a river that is prone to flooding. However, a more likely explanation may be that it was considered to be a river that could be crossed principally by means of fords , i.e. the river flowed over major road routes. This may explain the presence of the Romano-British element rid (cf. Welsh rhyd , "ford") in various place names along
11481-539: The national park boundary. The remaining areas are monitored and recorded in the Lowland Derbyshire Biodiversity Action Plan, which subdivides the landscape into eight smaller Action Areas. The Derbyshire Biological Records Centre was formerly based at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, but since 2011 has been managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Two of Englands 48 Local Nature Partnerships (LNP) also cover Derbyshire; these are
11610-399: The need for a tidal protection scheme, which would cope with the flows experienced in 1947 and the tidal levels from 1954, and subsequently the floodbanks and defences along the lower river were improved to this standard with the works being completed in 1965. In December 2013, the largest storm surge since the 1950s occurred on the Trent, when a high spring tide combined with strong winds and
11739-476: The north-east (Bolsover district), the Erewash Valley around Ilkeston and in the south around Swadlincote. The rural landscape varies from arable farmland in the flatlands to the south of Derby, to upland pasture and moorland in the high gritstone uplands of the southern Pennines. Derbyshire is rich in natural mineral resources such as lead, iron, coal , and limestone, which have been exploited over
11868-627: The only toll bridge along its course at Dunham on Trent . Downstream of Dunham the river passes Church Laneham and reaches Torksey , where it meets the Foss Dyke navigation which connects the Trent to Lincoln and the River Witham . Further north at Littleborough is the site of the Roman town of Segelocum, where a Roman road once crossed the river. It then reaches the town of Gainsborough with its own Trent Bridge . The river frontage in
11997-577: The owners of the canal announced that locks along a section of the canal had been clamped open at weekends causing it to empty during the COVID-19 lockdown . The section between Dockholme Lock and Long Eaton Lock was affected. The owners said that the vandalism had killed many fish, left others with breathing problems and washed birds nests away. Derbyshire Police were investigating the vandalism. Derbyshire Derbyshire ( / ˈ d ɑːr b i ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / DAR -bee-sheer, -shər )
12126-458: The production of gritstone grinding wheels for use in mills, and both former industries have left their mark on the Derbyshire landscape. As well as the protections afforded to the Peak District area under national and local policies, there are several green belts within the county, aimed at preserving the landscape surrounding main urban areas. There are four such areas, the first three being portions of much larger green belts that extend outside
12255-795: The remainder being non-native species. These comprise 336 established species, 433 casuals and 17 unassigned. It is known that 34 species of plants once native here have been lost from Derbyshire (i.e. become locally extinct) since modern plant recording began in the 17th century. Derbyshire contains two endemic vascular plants, found nowhere else in the world: Rubus durescens , a bramble occurring in central Derbyshire, and Derby hawkweed ( Hieracium naviense ), still known only from Winnats Pass . One endemic species of moss, Derbyshire Feather Moss , occurs in one small 3-metre patch in just one Derbyshire limestone dale, its sole world location intentionally kept confidential. The distribution and status of vascular plants in Derbyshire have been recorded over
12384-582: The responsibility of the County Council. Although Derbyshire is in the East Midlands , some parts, such as High Peak (which incorporated former areas of Cheshire after boundary changes in 1974), are closer to the northern cities of Manchester and Sheffield and these receive services more affiliated with northern England; for example, the North West Ambulance Service , Granada Television and United Utilities .Outside
12513-535: The river becomes the Derbyshire - Leicestershire border, passing the traditional crossing point of King's Mill , Castle Donington, Weston-on-Trent and Aston-on-Trent . At Shardlow , where the Trent and Mersey Canal begins, the river also meets the Derwent at Derwent Mouth. After this confluence, the river turns north-east and is joined by the River Soar before reaching the outskirts of Nottingham , where it
12642-535: The river reaches the boundary with Yorkshire and joins the River Ouse to form the Humber which flows into the North Sea . Unusually for an English river, the channel altered significantly during historic times, and has been described as being similar to the Mississippi in this respect, especially in its middle reaches, where there are numerous old meanders and cut-off loops. An abandoned channel at Repton
12771-427: The river, deposited when a much larger Trent flowed through the existing valley, and along its ancestral routes through the water gaps at Lincoln and Ancaster. This ‘staircase’ of flat topped terraces was created as a result of successive periods of deposition and subsequent down cutting by the river, a product of the meltwater and glacially eroded material produced from ice sheets at the end of glacial periods through
12900-562: The same bridge was partially destroyed by a flood that also meant the loss of the bridge at Newark. Historical archives often record details of the bridge repairs that followed floods, as the cost of these repairs or pontage had to be raised by borrowing money and charging a local toll. The largest known flood was the Candlemas flood of February 1795, which followed an eight-week period of harsh winter weather, rivers froze which that meant mills were unable to grind corn, and then followed
13029-419: The sandstones, shales and coal deposits found on the eastern flank of Derbyshire, forming the coal measures, which are of Westphalian age. All these rock layers disappear south of a line drawn between Ashbourne and Derby under layers of clays and sandstones ( Mercia Mudstone Group and Sherwood Sandstones ) of Permo-Triassic age. Small amounts of carboniferous limestones, gritstones and coal measures reappear in
13158-455: The seat of Derbyshire Dales , a Conservative safe seat that had not been won by Labour since the 1945 election . Shown below are the vote and seat count at the 2019 election compared to the 2024 election: Derbyshire has a three-tier local government since the local government reorganisation in 1974. It has a county council based in Matlock and eight district councils and since 1997,
13287-531: The sidings where they were connected to an endless rope kept in motion by a stationary steam engine in the centre of the triangle. The endless rope went around three wheels at the corners of the triangle. One was sited on the Erewash Canal's aqueduct which spanned the Erewash River, a second was under the bridge which carried the Eastwood Colliery's branch line over the Shipley line and the third
13416-431: The smug and silver Trent shall run In a new channel, fair and evenly; It shall not wind with such a deep indent, To rob me of so rich a bottom here. Henry Hotspur's speech complaining about the river has been linked to the meanders near West Burton , however, given the wider context of the scene, in which conspirators propose to divide England into three after a revolt, it is thought that Hotspur's intentions were of
13545-448: The southern and more lowland half of Derbyshire contains much softer rocks, mainly mudstones and sandstones of Permo-Triassic age, which create gentler, more rolling landscapes with few rock outcrops. Across both regions can be found drift deposits of Quaternary age – mainly terrace and river gravel deposits and boulder clays. Landslip features are found on unstable layers of sandstones and shales, with Mam Tor and Alport Castles being
13674-587: The southern end of the Pennines , most of which are part of the Peak District National Park . They include Kinder Scout , at 636 m (2,087 ft) the highest point in the county. The River Derwent is the longest in the county, at 66 miles (106 km), and flows south until it meets the River Trent just south of Derby. Church Flatts Farm at Coton in the Elms , near Swadlincote, is
13803-503: The summer, and increasing to 151 m /s (5,300 cu ft/s) in January. During lower flows the Trent and its tributaries are heavily influenced by effluent returns from sewage works, especially the Tame where summer flows can be made up of 90% effluent. For the Trent this proportion is lower, but with nearly half of low flows being made up of these effluent inflows, it is still significant. There are also baseflow contributions from
13932-492: The town and distributed gratuitously to save people from famine". In Newark the water was deep enough to allow four grammar school boys to row across the countryside to Kelham. The flood marks at Girton show that this flood was only 4 inches (100 mm) lower than that of 1795, when the village was flooded to a depth of 3 feet (0.91 m). On 17–18 March 1947 the Trent overtopped its banks in Nottingham. Large parts of
14061-456: The town is lined with warehouses, that were once used when the town was an inland port, many of which have been renovated for modern use. Downstream of the town the villages are often named in pairs, representing the fact that they were once linked by a river ferry between the two settlements. These villages include West Stockwith and East Stockwith , Owston Ferry and East Ferry , and West Butterwick and East Butterwick . At West Stockwith
14190-466: The town, where the river turns due north to pass North Muskham and Holme to reach Cromwell Weir , below which the Trent becomes tidal. The now tidal river meanders across a wide floodplain, at the edge of which are located riverside villages such as Carlton and Sutton on Trent , Besthorpe and Girton . After passing the site of High Marnham power station , it becomes the approximate boundary between Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire and reaches
14319-418: The tributary basin. The average for the whole Trent catchment is 720 mm (28 in) which is significantly lower than the average for United Kingdom at 1,101 mm (43.3 in) and lower than that for England at 828 mm (32.6 in). Like other large lowland British rivers, the Trent is vulnerable to long periods of rainfall caused by sluggish low pressure weather systems repeatedly crossing
14448-553: The tributary catchments. These include the Sherwood sandstones that occur beneath much of eastern Nottinghamshire, the Permian Lower Magnesian limestone and the carboniferous limestone in Derbyshire. Not only do these provide baseflows to the major tributaries, the groundwater is an important source for public water supply. Sand, gravels and alluvium deposits that overlie the mudstone bedrock occur almost along
14577-572: The upland areas, through to improved pasture and mixed farms in the middle reaches, where dairy farming is important. Intensive arable farming of cereals and root vegetables, chiefly potatoes and sugar beet occurs in the lowland areas, such as the Vale of Belvoir and the lower reaches of the Trent, Torne and Idle. Water level management is important in these lowland areas, and the local watercourses are usually maintained by internal drainage boards and their successors, with improved drainage being assisted by
14706-745: The use of hydropower at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution , following the mills pioneered by Richard Arkwright . Derbyshire has been said to be the home of the Industrial Revolution, and part of the Derwent Valley has been given World Heritage status in acknowledgement of this historic importance. Nationally famous companies in Derbyshire include Rolls-Royce , one of the world's leading aerospace companies, based since before World War I in Derby, Thorntons just south of Alfreton and Toyota , who have one of
14835-468: The use of pumping stations to lift water into embanked carrier rivers , which subsequently discharge into the Trent. The less populous rural areas are offset by a number of large urbanised areas including the conurbations of Stoke-on-Trent , Birmingham and the surrounding Black Country in the West Midlands; and in the East Midlands the major university cities and historical county seats of Leicester , Derby and Nottingham . Together these contain
14964-597: The village of Walton-on-Trent until it reaches the large town of Burton-upon-Trent . The river in Burton is crossed by a number of bridges including the ornate 19th-century Ferry Bridge that links Stapenhill to the town. To the north-east of Burton the river is joined by the River Dove at Newton Solney and enters Derbyshire , before passing between the villages of Willington and Repton where it turns directly east to reach Swarkestone Bridge . Shortly afterwards,
15093-423: The way to the Humber. The mudstones are not exposed by the bed of the river, as there is a layer of gravels and then alluvium above the bedrock. In places, however the mudstones do form river cliffs, most notably at Gunthorpe and Stoke Lock near Radcliffe on Trent, the village being named after the distinctive red coloured strata. The low range of hills, which have been formed into a steep set of cliffs overlooking
15222-675: The western bank of the canal. The towpath, which follows the eastern bank, carries Route 67 of the National Cycle Network between the Lawrence Street access and Stanton Lock where the cycle route diverges to follow the Nutbrook Valley. Near Ilkeston, the canal passes close to the disused but scenic Bennerley Viaduct . The canal is also regularly restocked with fish for anglers, and along the eastern tow path dozens of anglers are often seen. On 29 May 2020
15351-590: The whole county to the east of the River Derwent from the reign of Henry II to that of Edward I . The terrain of Derbyshire mostly consists of uplands to the north and centre of the county, and lowlands to the south and east. The southern foothills and uplands of the Pennines extend from the north of the Trent Valley throughout the Peak District and into the north of the county, reaching
15480-417: Was alongside Eastwood Lock. Using this mechanism the colliery wagons were brought alongside the wharf and could be emptied directly into waiting narrowboats. Eastwood Colliery was situated on a narrow plot of land sandwiched between the Nottingham Canal and the Erewash Canal just above the Erewash Canal's Eastwood Lock. It was originally owned by Doctor Manson but was taken over by Barber Walker and Company. It
15609-496: Was breached again, floodwaters spreading out across the low-lying land, even reaching the River Witham and flooding Lincoln. Some 20,000 acres (81 km ; 31 sq mi) were flooded for a period of over three weeks. A description of the breach was given as follows: The bank is formed upon a plain of sandy nature, and when it was broken in 1795, the water forced an immense breach, the size of which may be judged from
15738-439: Was dried out and refined to be eventually sold as a silver polish for cutlery manufacturers. The Trent is widely known for its tendency to cause significant flooding along its course, and there is a well documented flood history extending back for some 900 years. In Nottingham the heights of significant historic floods from 1852 have been carved into a bridge abutment next to Trent Bridge, with flood marks being transferred from
15867-545: Was formed in 1968 with the purpose of restoring the canal to full navigation; the achievement of this goal was celebrated with a boat rally in 1973 at the Great Northern Basin in Langley Mill . The main line from Long Eaton to Langley Mill was one of seven stretches of canal, formally designated as remainder waterways, which were re-classified by the British Waterways Act 1983 . Under the act,
15996-586: Was formed in response to a threat by the British Waterways Board to close the canal. One of the ECP&;DA's achievements was the re-opening of the Great Northern Basin at Langley Mill . This canal basin was the point at which the Cromford, Erewash and Nottingham Canals met. The Langley Mill Boat Company formed in 1974 and based at the Great Northern Basin has cleared and put back into water
16125-622: Was marketing within the UK but also exporting to the US, EU and Canada. The company director told the BBC that they had "a surge in interest and consumer sales from the US". The county is divided into eleven constituencies for the election of members of parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons . In the 2024 United Kingdom general election , all seats in Derbyshire were won by the Labour Party, including
16254-557: Was nationalised in 1947. By this time the closure of feeder canals resulting in a loss of trade and competition from other forms of transport was making itself felt and the last commercial narrowboat delivered its cargo in 1952. In 1962 the British Transport Commission closed the top section of canal. However, it was kept in water to supply the lower half of the canal and it remained navigable. The Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association, ECP&DA
16383-503: Was served by a branch line from the Great Northern Railway departing the main line close to Newthorpe and Greasley railway station . The colliery was also served by a branch line of the Midland Railway's Erewash Valley line departing the main line at Shipley Gate. Some of the embankments of the two branches are still in existence. The bridge abutments for the Midland Railway's wooden bridge which once stood directly below
16512-873: Was the smallest town in the country to have a football team in the top tier of English football, Glossop North End . Derbyshire has a cricket team based at the County Cricket Ground. Derbyshire County Cricket Club currently plays in Division Two of the County Championship . There are also rugby league clubs based in the north of the county, the North Derbyshire Chargers and in Derby (Derby City RLFC). The county has numerous rugby union clubs, including Derby, Chesterfield Panthers, Matlock, Ilkeston, Ashbourne, Bakewell and Amber Valley. River Trent The Trent
16641-488: Was transferred in 1967. However, Derbyshire gained part of the Longdendale valley and Tintwistle from Cheshire in 1974. The current area of the geographic/ceremonial county of Derbyshire is only 4.7 square kilometres less than it was over 100 years ago. At the third tier are the parish councils , which do not cover all areas. The eight district councils in Derbyshire and the unitary authority of Derby are shown in
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