Shardlow Canal Port
Inland port and community established in the late 18th century at the interface of the Trent & Mersey Canal with the River Trent.
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Shardlow Heritage Centre, London Road, Shardlow, Derbyshire DE72 2GA
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The Trent and Mersey Canal opened in 1777, linking the River Trent at Derwent Mouth, Derbyshire to the River Mersey, with the section through Shardlow (Shardlow Basin) completed in 1770. With the second connection via the Bridgewater Canal, 'The Grand Trunk' was James Brindley's vision of more than 70 locks and five tunnels - following Brindley's death in 1772, the project was completed by Hugh Henshall.
Originally a river port, with origins back to the bronze age, Shardlow developed greatly with the opening of the Trent & Mersey Canal. The earliest extant map, from 1816, shows a canal port comprising twelve warehouses and associated basins, with commodities such as coal, timber, iron, cheese, wheat and salt transferred from wide boats to narrowboats and warehousing for onward distribution.
Along with this development came all sorts of other businesses and buildings to support the carriers - boat builders, ropewalks, workshops, stores, stables, offices, workers' cottages and owners' houses. The decline of the canal system led to the closure of the port in 1948 and different uses for the warehouses, but the area remains remarkably little changed today. The Heritage Centre is leased from Mansfield Brewery which completely refurbished and equipped the building as a museum for the village.
By road: Off A50 (intersection nearest to M1 J 24/24A)- take B6540 northbound, then left turn signposted Cavendish Bridge and Shardlow. After approximately 1.6 km (1 mile) the Heritage Centre is on the left, immediately after crossing the canal. Car parking available in adjacent Clock Warehouse pub car park
Burton, Anthony, The Anatomy of Canals: Decline and Renewal, NPI Media Group, ISBN-10: 0752428101 (2003)
Burton, Anthony & Pratt, Derek, Anatomy of Canals: The Early Years, The History Press,
ISBN-10: 0752421379 (2001)
Burton, Anthony & Pratt, Derek, Anatomy of Canals: The Mania Years, NPI Media Group, ISBN-10: 0752423851 (2002)
Corble, Nick, James Brindley: The First Canal Builder, The History Press, ISBN-10: 0752432591 (2005)
Lead, Peter, The Trent and Mersey Canal, Moorland Publishing, ASIN: B000P8PZS4 (1993)
Lindsay, Jean, The Trent and Mersey Canal, David & Charles, ISBN-10: 0715377817 (1979)
Mullineaux, Frank, The Duke of Bridgewater's Canal, Eccles & District History Society, ASIN: B0000CK9EA (1959)
Richardson, Christine, James Brindley: Canal Pioneer, Waterways World, ISBN-10: 1870002970 (2005)
Wood, Cyril, The Duke's Cut: Bridgewater Canal, The History Press, ISBN-10: 0752451111 (2009)