Sunday school boat trip on waterway

The boat full of people was snapped at Grove Mill in 1906.

The canal is one of the most fascinating and historic waterways in Britain.

From its source in Tapton, the canal stretches over 46 miles, winding its way through open countryside, quiet villages and towns like Worksop and Retford.

It climbs up and down a series of locks and plunges through one of Britain’s longest canal tunnels at Norwood, before flowing into the River Trent at West Stockwith.

Thousands of walkers, ramblers, nature lovers and canal enthusiasts walk its towpaths .

The Chesterfield Canal is one of the country’s oldest.

Planning work started in 1768 after the success of the Bridgewater Canal in Manchester.

Construction started at Norwood in the autumn of 1771 and was completed six years later.

The canal was opened officially on 4th June 1777.

A joint venture between Retford and Chesterfield, it was a bold and imaginative step during the early years of the Industrial Revolution.

The original designs and surveys were carried out by celebrated engineer James Brindley.

It not only boasted the country’s longest canal tunnel at Norwood, but also one of the earliest multiple staircase lock flights at Thorpe Salvin.

The canal’s main purpose was to transport Derbyshire coal, stone, corn, lime, lead, timber and iron to new markets.

The waterway’s most illustrious cargo was the stone used to rebuild the Houses of Parliament after the 1834 fire, which came from a quarry at North Anston.