Cromford Canal management

Cromford Canal, its wharves, roads bridges and aqueducts, the Leawood Pumphouse, and the High Peak Junction goods sheds, workshops and other railway buildings are pioneering examples of industrial development.

They are significant elements in the cultural landscape which constitutes the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001 for its critically important contribution to the Industrial Revolution.

A remarkable amount of the original 18th and 19th century engineering structures survive in a largely unaltered setting — a ‘relict’ industrial landscape which, after the Manchester, Matlock, Buxton and Midlands Junction Railway line had been threaded through the valley in 1849, remained and remains largely unchanged.

The Cromford Canal is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a wildlife site of national importance for its aquatic plants and animals. It is a Derbyshire haven for water vole, a rapidly declining species despite its protected status.

The canal and the landscape in which it sits are enjoyed as a recreational venue, for walking in particular, by thousands of visitors each year.

We recognise our responsibility for the conservation and enhancement of this site.

In 2002 we were awarded a Heritage Lottery Grant for a series of studies into their care, management and interpretation of the historic village of Cromford, the Cromford Canal and High Peak Junction workshops. These studies were largely completed in 2005.

The studies were brought together into a Conservation Management Plan for the canal and workshops.

The plan guides the restoration, development and management of the canal and workshops, for their heritage, ecology and visitor use. It will occasionally be reviewed but its policies will provide the framework for activity for the next 20 years.

To implement the Conservation Management Plan, the potential availability of resources will be a major consideration, whilst the support of the World Heritage Site Partnership, together with that of other organisations and adjacent land owners will be extremely valuable.

Their ability to support, assist or promote the conservation and enhancement of the canal and associated historic futures within the authority’s ownership, will all contribute to the plan’s implementation.

We are publicising the Conservation Management Plan in order to provide organisations and individuals with an opportunity to indicate where they might wish to offer assistance in the future.

Comments are welcomed and should be sent to:

Chris Coombs - Countryside Service Area Manager
Middleton Top Visitor Centre
Rise End
Middleton by Wirksworth
Matlock
Derbyshire
DE4 4LS

You can view or download the Cromford Canal Conservation Management Plan from the related documents section on this page. Please note that the plan has been split into a series of documents.

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