When Canals Ruled the Waves.

 From Rotherham we continued on the Don past the Rotherham United ground where the Don joins with the Rother and the Ickle cut leaves to head up to Sheffield. The first lock is Ickles Lock but at the next one you have to book with C&RT to continue

We were delayed at the next lock Holmes as no Lock Keeper arrived and in any case Land and Marine were moving dredgers and pans about. We actually went through on a return pen from the pan and waited above the lock. By the time we got through the lock keeper was there and off we went.

After Holmes comes Jordans Lock and the impressive weir.  Up to now we are still on the Old River Don Navigation/South Yorkshire Canals

It is not until you reach Halfpenny Bridge and leave the River Don for the last time do you start along the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal. The wharf here was the head of navigation before the canal was built with an annoying few miles to go to Sheffield. In lieu of a canal a turnpike road had been completed.

Various schemes had been mooted to bring Sheffield into the canal age the the most ambitious was the Grand Commercial Canal that was first talked of in 1796. It was to link up the Peak Forest Canal with tunnels and locks through to Edale and Hathersage and on to Chesterfield and the Cromford Canal with a branch up to Sheffield. Thomas Telford got involved in 1824 surveying a route but it seems to many people were against it, land owners and other canal companies. What a canal that would have been to cruise today! In 1811 another scheme in 1811 was the NE Junction Canal that was proposed to link the River Don to Chesterfield and Cromford canals. In 1814 a canal from Tinsley to Codnor Park on the Cromford canal was talked about too. All these ideas must have stimulated ideas for a much easier to build, and quicker to complete, plan for the Sheffield and Tinsley Canal as it was put forward as a proposal in 1815 it quickly received backing and passed its first reading of the Bill in February, 2nd reading in May and Royal Assent in June! In October tenders were put out for its digging.

Route of the Grand Commercial Canal. Peak Forest Canal upper left, Sheffield upper right, Chesterfield middle right and Cromford Canal bottom right.

There are three locks near to Tinsley, one on its own then a flight of seven to reach the summit. On 22nd February 1819 for the opening of the canal ten or eleven boats entered the bottom lock at 0805 with the firing of cannons. All were decorated with flags and banners. There were no passengers, They reached the top through 2 bridges and 12 locks (only eleven today) at 0930 and had to wait there for their passengers. They arrived and the armada set off at 1100 prompt to the sound of firing cannon once more. These were answered by  artillery in Attercliffe Cutting which was in turn answered by guns at the Sheffield end of the canal. They passed over Attercliffe Aqueduct at 1130 and it was here they picked up the VIP's Lord Surrey and friends. When they left guns were fired as before. When the procession entered Attercliffe Cutting a 14 gun salute was fired in the cutting that must have been deafening.

The canal from the top of the locks to Sheffield was lined with thousands of people. Must workers had been given the day off to attend the celebrations. Not many too be seen today.

I think there are only two of the original bridges left this is the first Bacon Lane Bridge and the other is Cadman Bridge.  After that one the procession stopped and moored up to raise the masts and rigging and complete the decoration of the boats. This took a while before they set off again to enter the basin. The basin had been excavated on part of the Castle Orchards.

When they arrived in the basin there were 60,000 people there to great them. The band played Rule Britannia and three rousing cheers were given as well as a 14 gun salute with reply from two guns above the basin on Park Hill. All the guests were disembarked and assembled into a procession to walk up through the town from the warehouse. First came the Civil Officers with staves of office to clear the way, then the canal workmen four abreast. Contractors followed them and then owners and masters of the vessels. The resident Engineer and assistants fitted in here ahead of more civic officers and they were just ahead of the band. They had the Chairman and committee, nobility, Magistrates and religious leaders behind them. The the Master Cutlers of Sheffield, the committee of the River Don Navigation, Flag bearers and the canal committee members 3 abreast. Bringing up the rear four abreast were the other subscribers to the canal, Brothers of the Britannia and Royal Brunswick Masonic Lodges and other clubs and societies. The whole procession was a quarter of a mile in length as they made their way to the Tontine Inn and were cheered all the way. 120 sat down to a meal there. The room was decorated with flags, evergreen and banners with mottos such as 'The Sea and May it Always Bring a Spring Tide of Joy to Sheffield'. 'In the voyage of Life May Content Always be a Cabin Passenger.'  'Safe Arrivals to our Homeward and Outward Bound Fleets', 'Our Naval Affairs Well Managed', and 'All Ships to sea'.

The meal was enjoyed by the Earl of Surrey as the guest of honour. The Duke of Norfolk was due to attend but I suspect the opening was delayed a bit as he was due in Sheffield the week before so didn't make it. Others included Sir George Sitwell, Sir W.C. Bagshaw and others. The Chairman of the dinner was Hugh Parker Esq a Magistrate. It must have been a pretty boozy do as there were twenty toasts! Apparently besides the official dinner at the Tontine there were several others for the lesser mortals, and every pub was busy with people celebrating a day off as much as anything I suspect. However it was remarked that there was no trouble at all through out the day. The following day a dance was held at the Tontine so as include the ladies of quality.

Never has Sheffield seen such an event. Nothing like this was repeated when the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway was opened in 1838 or when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was opened with Victoria Station right next to the canal basin in 1845.

The first week of being open at least ten vessels arrived in the basin from Mosbrough, Gainsborough, Doncaster and London. They had cargoes including corn, coal, groceries, iron, deals and potatoes. One vessel sailed for Doncaster with Goods.

In 1869, after fifty years the newspapers were not over enthusiastic about the benefits the canal had brought to the city. After one hundred years in 1919 they were bemoaning the fact that nothing had really changed. They were looking forward to the time when 100 ton craft could reach Sheffield and extolling the vitues of a ship canal from the Humber to the City. It took until the 1980's for the idea to come to fruition with the 700 tonne Eurobarge improvemets to the locks and navigation, but only as far as Rotherham. We had hoped to be in Sheffield for the 200 year celebrations but it wasn't to be.