Description: Buxworth Basin was the eastern terminus of the Peak Forest Canal where limestone and lime from the quarries in the Dove Holes area was loaded into narrowboats. The connection to the quarries was via the Peak Forest Tramroad, a horse-worked plateway that was in operation from 1796 until the mid-1920s. The canal basin and the eastern arm from Bridgemont (the southern arm terminated at Whaley Bridge) thereafter fell into disuse but from 1968 underwent a long period of restoration, culminating in their reopening to boats in 2005. The basin has been a Scheduled Ancient Monument since 1977.
This view, taken during the restoration period, shows some of the many surviving stone sleeper blocks from the Peak Forest Tramroad, these examples being on the north side of the Middle Basin. The tramroad consisted of L-shaped plate rails mounted on these blocks to a track gauge of approximately 4-foot 2-inches.