The Pinxton Arm runs from near Codnor Park Reservoir, once serving local coal mines and the more distant Portland Collieries as well as the famous Pinxton Pottery. Eventually the Portland trade was lost from Pinxton when the Portland Tramway enabled deliveries of coal to Portland Wharf in Jacksdale instead, a more efficient arrangement using some of the first transport containers. This is also the reason why the Pinxton to Mansfield Railway was constructed in 1819 in favour of building a new canal.
The Pinxton Branch leaves the main line of the Cromford Canal under the junction bridge at Ironville which is now ‘land-locked’ thanks to the Codnor Park Reservoir flood relief scheme of the 1980s.
The towpath at the start of the branch was on the right through this bridge but the better path now begins on the left, passing along the eastern end of Codnor Park Reservoir, on top of the retaining wall. This separates the reservoir on the left from the now infilled Pinxton Branch on the right.
On reaching the north east corner of the reservoir, the Pinxton Branch turns to the right and passes under Butterley Company Bridge (2) which nowadays has a modern steel footbridge deck on the old abutments.
The path now lies on the infilled canal line, passing a row of houses built of randomly laid slag lump from Butterley ironworks, then to the rear of Ironville Church Hall where there is a car park on the former canal bed. A board informs you that this is the Derbyshire County Council’s Pinxton Canal Path as you pass close to the side of Ironville Church with the cemetery on the left, and under Ironville or Church Bridge (3). This was originally a stone arch bridge but was rebuilt in the 1930s.
Beyond here the infilled canal line is grassed over and swings to the left, passing the last of the houses in Ironville including a fine stone house on the left, which was formerly the vicarage, and then under Railway Bridge (4). This is the former Midland Railway’s Ambergate & Pye Bridge Branch which has been taken over by the Midland Railway Centre. Steam trains can quite often be seen crossing this bridge.
The good path continues on the right-hand side of the infilled canal. About 200 yards further on, a road crosses the canal line at a low level between stone walls. This is the site of Fletchers Row Bridge (5), which carried Nottingham Lane. There is a small concrete ½ mile post just beyond here.
The footpath follows the route of the canal as far as the Midland main line railway bridge. Beyond here the canal was destroyed as part of the Smotherfly opencasting. Today, although legally the footpaths remain, they are impassible and diversionary routes have to be taken. Full details are given in the Walker’s Guide, available from the FCC online shop.
The last half mile of the canal is still in water and passes the newly extended and reopened Boat Inn before reaching a big basin at Pinxton Wharf, which is a popular fishing spot.