Description: Looking north-west and showing the culverted course of the abandoned Nutbrook Canal at the point where it joined the Erewash Canal. The buildings and chimney in the background formed part of the New Works portion of Stanton Ironworks. The Nutbrook Canal formed a branch off the Erewash and followed the valley of the Nut Brook via Kirk Hallam to terminate at Shipley. It was largely closed to traffic in 1895, although a stub at the southern end continued to serve Stanton Works until after World War Two.
The Erewash Canal runs for 12 miles (19 km) from the River Trent via Long Eaton, Sandiacre and Ilkeston to Langley Mill and includes 14 locks. The Canal was engineered by John Varley and opened in 1779 at a cost of £21,000. Serving the industrialised Erewash Valley with its many coal mines, iron works and factories, it remained a useful transport artery well into the 20th century and it was only after World War Two that it began to fall into disuse. The section north of Gallows Inn at Ilkeston up to Langley Mill was declared unnavigable in 1962 and closure was proposed. The Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association was formed in 1968 and after much restoration work the Canal was reopened throughout. In the 1980s it was duly upgraded from a 'remainder' waterway to 'cruiseway' status.