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From: WikiPedia
The Nottingham Canal is a canal in the English counties of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. As built, it comprised a 14.7-mile (23.7 km) long main line between the River Trent just downstream of Trent Bridge in Nottingham and Langley Mill in Derbyshire. At the same time as the main line of the canal was built by its proprietors, the separate Trent Navigation Company built the Beeston Cut, from the main line at Lenton in Nottingham to rejoin the River Trent upstream of Nottingham, thus bypassing the difficult section of navigation through Trent Bridge. The section of the main line between Trent Bridge and Lenton, together with the Beeston Cut, is still in use, forming part of the navigation of the River Trent and sometimes referred to as the Nottingham & Beeston Canal. The remainder of the main line of the canal beyond Lenton has been abandoned and partially filled.

The canal leaves the River Trent by Meadow Lane Lock and runs close to Nottingham city centre, serving a number of wharves in the city. It rises through Castle Lock, overlooked by Nottingham Castle, and then continues to Lenton. From here the Beeston Cut continues to Beeston Lock, where it reenters the River Trent. Also from Lenton, the now disused main line rose through a further 17 locks to reach a long upper pound. At its upper end, a stop lock connected it to the Great Northern Basin, which provided access to the Erewash Canal and the Cromford Canal.

Where the Beeston Cut met the Nottingham Canal, the canal company installed a chain across the navigation, preventing boats from passing without paying the toll. The junction is still known as Lenton Chain today. The chain was never moved on Sundays!

A grisly episode in the canal's history occurred in 1818. The canal was often used to ship gunpowder to the mines of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire - offering a tempting prank for the more mischievious boatmen. One of them dropped a hot coal onto a small piece of gunpowder, expecting a minor flash. In fact, the damage extended over several nearby streets, killing ten people and destroying the canal company warehouse.