Nutbrook to Erewash Canal walk

We returned to The Strawbridge car park near Ilkeston and set off to walk the route of the Nutbrook canal to the Erewash canal. We thought an old railway trackbed and canal towpath would be dry and flat and there would be no muddy fields to encounter. The old trackbed we walked along was from one of the many old mines in the area and they generally ended up at the Erewash canal.

Checking the information board.

Looks like Geoff is doing a jig!!

We spotted a few Alpaca's just grazing like long necked sheep

The 3 Shadows!!!

Ike may be getting on a bit but he still likes playing in puddles.

There used to be a bridge over the railway here.

On our walk we went past the remnants o the old Stanton Iron Works, it was quite a sad sight to think that a few years ago there was 7000 people worked on this site.

STANTON Ironworks were originally started in 1846 when Chesterfield man Benjamin Smith, and his son Josiah, brought three blast-furnaces into production alongside the banks of the Nutbrook Canal.

These original furnaces produced around 20 tons of pig iron – a basic type of iron – per day but the company experienced financial difficulties and there were several take-overs during the middle of the 19th century.​

During this period the business was taken over by the Crompton family, who then owned the firm for more than 80 years and renamed it The Stanton Iron Company.

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 created a huge demand for iron and the works expanded rapidly, with the construction of new furnaces and foundries, known as the New Works, along the Erewash Canal.

By the early 20th century the business was named The Stanton Ironworks Company Ltd, and during the First World War Stanton produced large numbers of shell casings, while during the Second World War both shell and bomb casings, gun barrels, and concrete air-raid shelter components were made.

With its experience in high quality concrete products, Stanton was also involved in the production of experimental concrete torpedo casings and made 873,500 bomb casings.

Breakfast stop 

This bit of artwork is just alongside the Erewash canal 

Geoff photographing  the nameplate.

This artwork was done in 2001 as part of the Nutbrook Trail by Hilary Cartmel & Michael Johnson

Lock No15 on the Erewash Canal

   

Erewash Canal runs from Langley Mill to the river Trent 

Just liked the contrast between the sky and the branches on this willow tree.

Don't know what highway this sign has been nicked from

The Alpaca's had moved a few fields on the return trip

The pond at Strawbridge car park

Geoff snapped Horsley Church while we were driving past

Back at Geoff's

 This was another really pleasant walk somewhere we hadn't been before. A lot of history around these canals and old railway tracks and if you know where to look there is still a lot of evidence of the old industries about.
See you next week
Cheers