About Us

As a direct result of a newspaper article published in 1967, local residents, business proprietors, and councilors got together and formed the Erewash Canal Action Committee (ECAC) to combat the threatened closure of the Erewash canal.

Their first meeting was in January 1968 and at their second meeting in February 1968 the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association (ECP&DA) was created to protect the Erewash canal from closure.

From 1962 the Erewash Canal was officially closed to navigation above Gallows Inn Lock as it was classified as a 'remainder' waterway. Therefore due to lack of boat navigation this section silted up and became increasingly difficult to navigate with a boat. By the time ECP&DA came on the scene in 1968 Langley Bridge Lock was being infilled along with Cromford Canal and Nottingham Canal Great Northern Basin above the lock.

Restoration of the Great Northern Basin was started by digging out the accumulated silt and exposing the damage to the towpath wall. By September 1972 it was reported that the Great Northern Basin and 15 feet of the Cromford Canal had been excavated. This work continued with the pouring of concrete to create new wall foundations on which a new wall was built. The Swing Bridge was opened probably for the first time since 1934. Stop planks were fitted above Langley Bridge Lock to allow the basin to fill with water.

After two years of hard work, 1973 dawned with just the minor job of acquiring some lock gates to complete the task. The gates from Wollaton Lock on the Nottingham Canal were borrowed and after a strip-down and rebuild, became the new top gates for Langley Bridge Lock. The bottom gates were refurbished in time to celebrate with a grand opening ceremony at the Three Canals Boat Rally held at Langley Mill in May 1973.

 In the years since the ECP&DA have been very pro-active in looking after the Erewash Canal and its canal-related historic buildings for the benefit of local residents and visitors to the Erewash Valley.