The Derby Canal was built by James Brindley in 1796. It ran from Swarkestone, on the Trent and Mersey Canal to Sandiacre, on the Erewash Canal.
The canal eventually closed in 1964, giving way to the new and faster transport of the day, the railways. Very few sites are still in water, but those that are can be seen at Swarkestone, Sandiacre and Borrowash.
This section of the former Derby canal is now part of a multi user route suitable for cycling and walking.