Uncovering Derby’s Lost Waterway

Unearthing History: NarrowBoat, Summer 2025

Bobby Cowling

Bobby Cowling traces the lost city centre sections of the Derby Canal 

Not coming from a boating background, I recall my confusion in my early 20s when I found myself driving along Canal Street near the centre of Derby. What canal? I wondered. That evening, I asked my father about it. Born in 1945 and having grown up nearby, he remembered the long-lost waterway that once ran through the heart of the city. At one point, he remarked, “That office block you worked at – that was right on the canal.” My later research confirmed he was correct. He also spoke about Long Bridge, which had somehow already entered my consciousness. Dad wouldn’t have seen working boats there, as it was last fully navigated in the year he was born. As has been well documented elsewhere, the 14-mile canal suffered the considerable misfortune of not being nationalised in 1948 due to an earlier administrative error. As a result, it remained under the control of the Derby Canal Company which, despite public opposition, succeeded in infilling the route in the 19…