Dearne and Dove Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dearne and Dove Canal
The bottom gate of the third lock in 2008, with Waddington's yard occupying the line of the canal beyond
Specifications
Maximum boat length	58 ft 0 in (17.68 m)
Maximum boat beam	14 ft 10 in (4.52 m)
Locks	25
Status	Restoration proposed, part new route
History
Original owner	Dearne and Dove Canal Company
Principal engineer	Robert Mylne
Other engineer(s)	John Thompson
Date of act	1793
Date completed	1804
Date closed	1961
Geography
Start point	Barnsley 53°33′25″N 1°27′50″W / 53.5569°N 1.4640°W / 53.5569; -1.4640 (Junction with Barnsley Canal)
End point	Swinton 53°29′04″N 1°18′10″W / 53.4845°N 1.3028°W / 53.4845; -1.3028 (Junction with River Don Navigation)
Branch(es)	Elsecar, Worsborough
Connects to	River Don Navigation, Barnsley Canal

The Dearne and Dove Canal was a waterway in South Yorkshire, England. It stretched for almost ten miles from Swinton to Barnsley. Along its main path, boats passed through 19 locks, which lifted them 127 feet higher.

The canal also had two shorter branches, each about two miles long. These branches, at Worsbrough and Elsecar, had reservoirs (large lakes) at their ends. The Elsecar branch had six more locks. The canal's only tunnel was replaced by an open cut in 1840 to make way for a railway.

The main reason the canal was built was to carry goods from the many coal mines in the area. It also transported pig iron, glass, lime, oil products, and other general items. Over time, new railways became rivals, and the ground sinking (called subsidence) from the very mines it served caused problems. This led to the canal slowly closing down, and it was fully shut in 1961.

When the local coal industry also declined in the 1980s, people started to think about the canal again. The Barnsley Canal Group was formed to try and restore the whole canal. This effort got a big boost when the railway that had replaced parts of the canal was also closed down.

History of the Canal

Building the Canal

The idea of a waterway from the River Don to Barnsley was first suggested in 1773. But nothing happened until 1792, when a canal from the River Don Navigation to Barnsley was proposed. At the same time, another company, the Aire and Calder Navigation, wanted to build a canal from Wakefield to Barnsley.

In October 1792, these two companies met in Barnsley. They agreed to connect their canals just south of Barnsley. This led to the creation of the Dearne and Dove Canal and the Barnsley Canal. Both canals aimed to reach the coalfields nearby.

The Dearne and Dove Canal Company got permission to build the canal on June 3, 1793. This was the same day the Barnsley Canal also got its permission. The company could raise £60,000 by selling shares. Robert Mylne was the main engineer, but John Thompson and later Robert Whitworth managed the construction.

The canal reached Elsecar by 1798 and was fully open by November 1804. It cost nearly £100,000 to build. This cost included building the two reservoirs at Elsecar and Worsbrough. It also included special railways (tramroads) with inclined planes to carry coal from mines to the canal. A 472-yard tunnel near Swinton was also built.

The canal was very busy at first. By 1830, it was carrying 181,000 tons of coal each year. Sometimes, it had to close briefly in summer due to low water levels.

When Railways Arrived

In 1840, the North Midland Railway opened, running from Leeds to Derby. This was a big threat to the canal, as railways could carry goods faster. Parts of the railway even ran next to the canal. At Adwick upon Dearne, the railway built a deep cut. To make space, the canal's tunnel was removed, and the canal was moved to share the new cut. The canal company also built places where goods could be easily moved between the canal and the railway.

To compete, the Don Navigation Company bought the Dearne and Dove Canal in 1847 for £210,000. They lowered the tolls (fees) by 60 percent in 1846. This meant a lot of coal traffic that used to go on the Barnsley Canal now used the Dearne and Dove.

Later, a railway company called the South Yorkshire, Doncaster & Goole Railway Company took over the canal in 1850. They opened new railway lines to Elsecar and Worsbrough. At Elsecar, the canal basin (a wide part for boats to turn) was moved, and about 200 yards of the canal were filled in for the railway. Even though this helped some parts of the Don Navigation, traffic on the Dearne and Dove Canal actually went down.

Eventually, the canals were leased to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1864. In 1874, the railway fully took them over. Canal users were unhappy because tolls were high and the canals weren't being updated. So, in 1888, a new company, the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Canal Company, was formed. They wanted to buy the canals back from the railway. This finally happened in 1895. The Dearne and Dove Canal became part of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

The Canal's Decline

The new owners wanted to make the canal bigger for 300 or 400-ton boats. They also wanted to use special compartment boats for coal. But they struggled to get enough money to make these big improvements. The Dearne and Dove Canal was the least profitable part of their system. It cost a lot to maintain because of the ground sinking (subsidence) from the coal mines. For example, in 1884, a 25-yard section of the Worsbrough branch collapsed due to subsidence. It cost £19,000 and took six months to fix.

In 1906, the branch to Worsbrough closed because it was too expensive to maintain. It was kept only to supply water. The Elsecar branch closed next in 1928, also due to subsidence. The last boat traveled the middle part of the main canal in 1934. After this, the water levels were not kept up, which saved money on fighting subsidence. Only about a mile at each end of the canal still had traffic.

Traffic at the Barnsley end stopped in 1942. Traffic from the Manvers Main colliery ended in 1952. Even though groups tried hard to save the canal in the late 1950s, it officially closed in 1961. Only about half a mile near the glassworks in Swinton remained open. This part had four locks and was supplied with water by pumps. The last boat visited the glassworks in 1977. Today, the lower part of this section is a boatyard, and the upper part has water but is blocked by a dam.

After the canal closed, the land went to local councils. In the 1960s, some parts of the canal in Swinton and Wath-upon-Dearne were filled in. Other parts were just left to decay. Even in the early 1980s, you could still see much of the old canal path. Roads often passed over the old narrow stone bridges. But since then, many old bridges have been removed for road improvements, and some parts of the canal bed have been used for new roads.

Restoration Efforts

On April 1, 1984, a group of twelve people met to discuss the local waterways. They formed the Barnsley Canal Group. This group started working to save and restore the Dearne and Dove and Barnsley Canals. Since the late 1980s, they have been trying to protect the remaining canal land from being built over.

In 1991, the group began restoring the top part of the Elsecar branch. This work was done with the Elsecar Heritage Centre. A study showed that restoring this part of the canal was possible, though expensive. In 2000, the Barnsley Canal Group became the Barnsley, Dearne & Dove Canals Trust.

The Canal Today

The two branches of the canal are in better shape than the main line. Because they are in more rural areas, the land has not been changed as much. For parts of the main line, where there are blockages and poor maintenance, new routes have been suggested. This is especially true in Wath-upon-Dearne, Wombwell, and Stairfoot. Here, road projects and land changes have covered up several miles of the old canal bed.

Since all the local mines that the canal served are now closed, ground sinking (subsidence) is no longer a problem. Also, the railway line that replaced the canal was closed in 1988. This means the canal has an alternative route available. This land is now protected and can be dug out relatively easily to create a new canal channel. It is also part of the Trans Pennine Trail.

The Barnsley, Dearne & Dove Canals Trust calls the canal "a vital missing link." Their goal is to fully restore both the Dearne and Dove and the Barnsley Canals. This would complete the "Yorkshire Ring" of waterways. The Elsecar branch is the first part being restored. The top two sections of water and the top lock have been fixed. A ramp for launching boats was added in the top section. Funding was received, and the lock gates were installed in May 1999. Other parts, like the top of the Worsbrough branch, are still in good condition despite years of neglect.

Parts of the canal's towpath (the path next to the canal) are now sections of the Trans Pennine Trail. This is a long walking and cycling path that connects cities like Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, and Chesterfield. The reservoir at the top of the Elsecar branch is now a local nature reserve. The area around the reservoir at the top of the Worsbrough branch has become Worsbrough Country Park.

Original Canal Route

Main Line Path

A short section above the fourth lock remains in water, although the top gate of the lock has been replaced by a concrete wall

The canal began where it met the Don Navigation in Swinton. From there, it went through six locks. Then it passed through a 472-yard tunnel. This tunnel was replaced in 1840 when the canal was moved to share a new cutting with the railway.

Next, it passed the Manvers Main Colliery and entered Wath-upon-Dearne. It ran next to Doncaster Road and then through rows of houses in the town centre. It then curved north-west into the middle of the valley. There was a wide section on a high bank, known as the Bay of Biscay. After that, it went into Brampton and back onto the hillside. There were four more locks up to the Elsecar branch junction. This junction was between Brampton and Wombwell.

The canal then passed Wombwell to the north of the town centre and Aldham. It then reached the eight locks of the Stairfoot flight. At this point, the Worsbrough Branch joined. The canal then went through the area of Stairfoot Roundabout and headed towards Hoyle Mill. A final stop lock here marked the border between the Dearne & Dove and Barnsley Canals.

Elsecar Branch Path

The Elsecar branch was built to serve the coal mines. It passed many of them. Starting in Brampton, the branch went past Cortonwood Colliery, which is now a retail park. After passing below Hemingfield and the old Hemingfield Colliery site, it ended at Elsecar basin. The reservoir is about half a mile past the basin, near the heritage centre. Most of the towpath here is part of the Elsecar Greenway, which is also part of the Trans Pennine Trail.

Worsbrough Branch Path

After leaving Stairfoot, the Worsbrough branch went through Swaithe. It then passed under the Penistone Line railway. After this, it ran next to the River Dove until it reached Worsbrough Basin. The reservoir is just beyond the basin.

Proposed Restoration Route

A survey done by the Barnsley Canal Group in 1987 showed that restoring the original canal route would be very hard. This is mainly because local councils filled in much of the canal land in the 1970s. Over the years, several ideas for a new route have been suggested. These include using the River Dearne or the old railway line from Mexborough to Barnsley, which closed in 1988.

In 2004, an engineering company studied the restoration options. Their findings in 2006 estimated that fully restoring both the Dearne and Dove and the Barnsley Canals for narrow boats would cost £127 million. They also estimated that it would bring £3.1 million per year in benefits to the local economy.

The proposed new route would follow the old path through Swinton. Then it would go around the new Dearne Valley College and call centres. It would then go north of Wath-Upon-Dearne using an aqueduct to rejoin its old route. There would be only small changes to the rest of the route to Barnsley, though it would run next to the original canal in this section.

Barnsley Canals Consortium

The Barnsley Canals Consortium is a group of organizations working together to restore the Dearne and Dove Canal and its sister canal, the Barnsley Canal. Its members include:

• Barnsley, Dearne & Dove Canals Trust
• Inland Waterways Association
• Royston and Carlton Partnership
• Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
• Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
• Wakefield City Council

Points of Interest