Steve's and Phil's 8.5 mile walk took 19 of us first to Clayworth then down to the Chesterfield Canal. Opened in 1777, it runs for 46 miles from West Stockwith on the Trent to Chesterfield though it is only navigable as far as Kiveton Park near Rotherham plus an isolated section near Chesterfield. The canal was built to export coal, limestone and lead from Derbyshire, iron from Chesterfield and corn, timber, groceries, etc. into Derbyshire and was used to transport stone from North Anston Quarry for building the Houses of
Parliament. Referred to locally as Cuckoo Dyke, it is now the route of the long distance footpath known as the Cuckoo Way. |
| The start at the east end of the village |
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| Phil poses in front of the missing beacon (see later). This ancient monument (the beacon that is) dates back only to 1988 allegedly |
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| Gringley on the Hill Market Cross. In 1252 Henry III granted Gringley a market and annual fair |
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| The Traquair Murals in St Peter's Church, Clayworth were the result of a commission by Lady D'Arcy Godolhin Osborne to commemorate the safe return of her son, Captain Joseph Laycock from the second Boer War. They were painted by the famous Scottish artist Phoebe Traquair in 1904 |
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| Inside St Peter's Church |
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| Here is Roger's cropped original |
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| And here is an attempt to square up the image |
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| Outside St Peter's Church |
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| Joining the Chesterfield Canal at Otter Bridge, #68 |
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| Gray's Bridge, #69 |
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| Lunch at the marina next to Drakeholes Tunnel. The impressive building in the background is the derelict White Swan pub, aka The Griff Inn |
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| The 135m long Drakeholes Tunnel |
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| Just about to leave the canal at Gringley Top Lock |
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| Gringley Horse Well (1748) |
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| A settlement has existed at Gringley on the Hill since at least the Bronze Age. The Domesday survey of 1086 listed it as a medium sized settlement consisting of 16 households. Just behind this information board near the start point, at some point a rudimentary fortification was established on a mound known as Beacon Hill (no sign of a beacon though!) |
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| View northeast from the top of Beacon Hill - the flatlands of north Nottinghamshire, 2m above sea level |
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