A jewel in the local community crown Words and photos: Janet Richardson
AT THE end of a lane not far from where the A52 crosses the Erewash Canal, the Sandiacre Lock Cottages have stood since the late 18th century.
The lock chamber and bridge were built in 1779 with the cottage and stable provided for a lengthsman and when the Derby Canal joined the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre in 1797, the adjoining toll house was built to serve both canals.
Thanks to the efforts of the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association which bought the cottages from the Canal & River Trust in 2017, having leased the buildings since 1969, they are now a popular local attraction hosting open days on the third Sunday of every month, bank holiday Mondays and in the run-up to Christmas. They are also open by request for organised visits.
I visited the cottages on a sunny Sunday morning in late August where I was met by Glyn Stenson, team leader and ECP&DA trustee. The lock was already busy with narrowboat Old Nick passing through watched by families and dog walkers enjoying the towpath.
As he showed me round, Glyn’s passion for this lovingly preserved example of waterways heritage shone through. He told me: “I have a real affinity with the cottages.” He shares his own ‘local history’ with them and recalls interviewing one of the last traditional boatmen there for a GCE O-Level project in the mid-1970s.
“We embrace the past but look forward to how we can enhance a real community heritage for Sandiacre and the locality. We are lucky to have a great team of really dedicated volunteers.”
They include his wife Dorothy, also a trustee and known to everyone in the team as Dot, who shares his enthusiasm and has prepared a three-year action plan to ensure the cottages are ‘a jewel in the heritage of Sandiacre’. She explained: “When we first became volunteers the cottages needed some TLC. They are busy and buzzy now.
“We are trying to increase the number of volunteers who come and have something going on every time we open. Recently we had a wash day where children came and experienced washing with dolly tub and mangle etc. Our next activity will be getting ready for autumn – lighting fires, toasting over an open fire, soup making etc.”
While I was there, local craftswoman Oksana Holbrook was demonstrating rag-rugging, describing herself as ‘a hooker’. While upstairs musicians Ollie and Tim were preparing to entertain visitors with acoustic guitar and mandolin.
Showing me round the cottages, which have been transformed since my first visit several years ago, Glyn said: “We usually get around 100 visitors at our open days and are trying to reach out to the next generation.” This is evident in the activity room upstairs where children can do colouring and dressing-up to help them learn about life on the canal. “We are keen to get young people involved,” Glyn added.
As well as welcoming groups such as the Brownies and local WI branches – a party from Oakwood had enjoyed an organised visit and cream tea earlier in the week – Glyn also goes out to give talks. “We want to put the lock cottages on the map as part of the local community,” he said.
But my first port of call was the stable shared by Buttons – a delightful papier mache, wire and glass fibre horse created by a schoolgirl as an A-level project and Rosie – a little mechanical pony which children really love.
Next door is the latest addition – a new toilet and washroom opened in April by BBC Radio Derby presenter Andy Twigge. Electricity was installed in the cottages as recently as two years ago.
Tables were already set in the small outside yard and inside in the tearoom for visitors to enjoy refreshments including a mouth-watering selection of home-made cakes, served by volunteers in return for a donation to funds. Admission to the cottages is free.
On the wall is a display, Who Lived Here?, compiled by Geri Martin and listing the occupants of the cottages from the 1830s until 1960 – Glyn said that a visitor had recognised a family member in one of the photos. There is also a display of replica Measham ware.
Leading off in the traditional scullery are a cooking range and laundry equipment including a dolly tub, posser and mangle. And overlooking the canal junction is the toll office. Canal companies levied tolls according to the weight and type of cargo carried and Glyn said that, according to canal folklore, boaters used to swap bags of coal for chickens as they weighed lighter.
Having painted all through the downstairs and created the signage, including a storyboard of the restoration and preservation of the Erewash Canal from 1968 to the present, Glyn said that the next project is to refurbish the meeting room upstairs with new flooring.
When the weather gets colder, a hot drink and an open fire make the cottages a very desirable place to spend a couple of hours between 10.30am and 3.30pm. In the run-up to Christmas scheduled openings are as follows: Sundays October 16 and November 20; Victorian Christmas openings with natural foliage, traditional decorations, lights and carols with refreshments, tombola and live music on Sundays December 4, 11 and 18 and the ‘man in red’ on Saturdays December 3 and 10.