Key Points on the Chesterfield Canal from Norwood to Shireoaks and Historical Notes, by Lance Wilks

• Norwood Angel Hotel
• No 29 Gannow Lane Bridge
• No 30 Norwood Bridge dated 1855 on west end of basin
• Boatman Inn (House) on east end of basin
• Lock No 7 Norwood Low Treble. Lower
• Lock No 8 Norwood Low Treble. Middle
• Lock No 9 Norwood Low Treble. Top
• Lock-keeper’s House with horse stables (Demolished). With basins 1 and 2
• Lock No 10 Norwood Middle Treble. Lower
• Lock No 11 Norwood Middle Treble. Middle
• Lock No 12 Norwood Middle Treble. Top
• Old Sawmill on south side of locks (House)
• Lock No 13 Norwood Top Treble. Lower
• Lock No 14 Norwood Top Treble. Middle
• Lock No 15 Norwood Top Treble. Top
• West Kiveton Colliery loading wharf and coal chutes on north side of canal basin
• Lock No 16 Norwood Upper Lock
• Lock No 17 Norwood Upper Lock
• Lock No 18 Norwood Upper Lock
• Lock No 19 Norwood Upper Lock

Woodhall ponds supplied water for the western Norwood locks via a brick lined channel through Norwood Wood to the basin against the western portal of the tunnel.

Tunnel Keeper’s Cottage (demolished) on left of Norwood Tunnel Western Portal with a Basin: at the time of the tunnel construction it was the longest in the world at 3050 yards, built about 1770.

The tunnel ventilation shaft 200 yards up the hill is now under the M1 motorway.

The Tunnel Top open hole between two colliery waste tips at Kiveton Park Colliery is now filled it, but was used as a loading bay for coal and boat passing place before the tunnel was closed. It was also a swimming hole in a dry season: you could dive off the top of the brick portals into the canal and swim down into the tunnel. In a wet season it was flooded about 15 feet above the portals, making it about 25 feet deep in the canal channel. The Tunnel Top was used by some people as a dog-drowning pond before the Second World War. When the new drift was built to the Clowne coal seam (a sloping tunnel from the surface), the Tunnel Top water drained away down the new drift. We had to install larger pumps.

At the eastern side of Hard Lane the tunnel collapsed on the 16 Oct 1907, which resulted in the closure of the tunnel. It is navigable from the collapse to the Eastern Portal. I went down it in 1996 in a boat from the Eastern Portal and it is in good condition.

John Varley built a house in 1771 on the north side of the Norwood Tunnel Eastern Portal. My school pal Lewis Jefferys lived there as a lad. The house is now demolished.

Tunnel Keepers cottage on the south side left of Norwood Tunnel Eastern Portal has been demolished.

A water supply for the canal eastern locks came from Harthill ponds via a stream past the pit and through Tommy Flockton's to Broad Dyke sluice, which ends at the waterfall on the north side of the canal. This is also a winding hole for boats turning around.

There was a tunnel from the canal to Turner's Quarry at Kiveton Park so they could load stone onto barges for transhipment to the River Trent and the North Sea, then via larger ships to build the Houses of Parliament and other London buildings.

No 31 Dog Kennel Bridge built in 1841 is what is called a turnover bridge where the horse can transfer from one side of the canal to the other on the towpaths without uncoupling the rope to the barge. Station Hotel is on the north side of the railway at this point.

• 1120 yards to Thorpe Bridge
First set of narrows with a canal draining sluice and paddle, this was in working order until vandalised in 2005
• Next a loading bay with anchor rings set in the stone slabs
• No 32 Thorpe Bridge
• 610 yards to Devils Hole Bridge
• No 33 Devils Hole Bridge The date mark inside the bridge at the Western end has been chiselled off, there is a survey mark on the East side wall
• 830 yards to Pudding Dike Bridge
• No 34 Pudding Dike Bridge date mark inside 1804. Survey mark on the Western side wall of the Bridge. Turn right to Thorpe for Parish Oven Pub
• 685 Yards to Spring Wood Bridge
• Old draining sluice on north side of the canal just before the footbridge over the overflow weir
• Lock No 20 Thorpe Top Treble Lock
• Lock No 21 Thorpe Top Treble Lock
• Lock No 22 Thorpe Top Treble Lock
• Lock No 23 Thorpe Middle Treble Lock is the canal summit lock having rose 257 ft by 46 locks
• Lock No 24 Thorpe Bottom Treble Lock
• No 35 Spring Wood Bridge Date mark 1835 on East side top of Bridge parapet
• 970 yards to Turnerwood Bridge
• Canal Basin with Lock Keepers House on south side of canal I found an old cast iron cooking pot. (demolished)
• Horse stables on north side (demolished)
• Lock No 25 Limehouse Lock
• Lock No 26 Thorpe Middle Treble Upper Lock
• Lock No 27 Thorpe Middle Treble Middle Lock
• Lock No 28 Thorpe Middle Treble Low Lock
• Lock No 29 Milestone Lock
• Lock No 30 Brickyard Double Upper Lock
• Lock No 31 Brickyard Double Lower Lock
• Lock No 32 Browns Lock
• Lock No 33 Turnerwood Double Bottom Lock
• Lock No 34 Turnerwood Double Bottom Lock
• Lock No 36 Turnerwood Bridge
• 755 yards to Cinderhill Bridge
• Turnerwood Canal Basin
• Lock No 37 Quarry Lock
• Lock No 38 Feeder Lock
• Lock No 39 Stone Lock
• Cinderhill Basin
• Lock No 40 One-Slip Lock
• Lock No 41 CinderHill Lock
• No 37 Cinderhill Bridge
• 685 yards to Shireoaks Bridge
• Lock No 42 - Low Lock
• No 38 Shireoaks Bridge
• Railway Station Hotel (Now a house)