From the tunnel it continued to Ironville, the junction for the branch to Pinxton, and then descended through fourteen locks to meet the Erewash Canal at Langley Mill.

The canal therefore attracted the support of some powerful figures such as Philip Gell of Hopton Hall and Sir Richard Arkwright – the latter initially at least.

The major opposition came from the water-powered mill owners along the Derwent, of which there were many, downstream of the proposed canal, fearful of loss of flow in dry weather.

Since, between Cromford and Pinxton, the canal would be level, Jessop was able to give reassurance, carefully downplaying the problem of the descent, with its locks, to Langley Mill.

However, with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, he also spent over a year measuring the flow rate of the Derwent, a precaution which was invaluable when the bill was placed before Parliament.

He also proposed to make the summit pound deep enough that it could be replenished on Sundays when the mills were closed, and hold enough water to supply the locks for a week even in the driest weather.

Arkwright complained that the canal crossed his land and insisted that water should be obtained from the river by raising the height of the weir at Masson Mill.

Perhaps because they had quoted too little, basing their estimates on Jessop's cost predictions which may themselves have been too optimistic, the contractors soon found themselves in financial difficulties and, at the end of 1790, simply walked off the site.

In January 1792 there was a problem when the Amber Aqueduct failed but, by May, the canal to the east of Butterley was virtually complete and most of the earthworks to the west.

The spandrel walls had parted due to the horizontal forces imposed by the canal, and a longitudinal split had opened up in the arch.

In his report to the canal committee, Jessop gave his opinion that the use of Crich lime, being unusually pure, had delayed the setting of the mortar.

Later writers, with the benefit of engineering knowledge acquired after Jessop's time, have suggested that the spandrel walls were simply too slender for the forces imposed.

The proprietors changed the line of the canal to its present terminus, where a connection was made to the Cromford sough, even though they had to purchase the land from Arkwright at £1,000 and landscape (at unknown cost) the grounds of his then house.

In 1831, the Cromford and High Peak Railway opened a route up to Manchester The canal also carried limestone from the Butterley Company's quarry at Crich with a plateway to the Amber Wharf at Bullbridge.

In 1846 the mining beneath Wirksworth had reached such a depth that Meerbrook Sough was built, draining into the Derwent near Whatstandwell, which deprived both Arkwrights mill and the canal of water, leaving the latter with only that from Butterley Reservoir.

[10] The Inland Waterways Preservation Society proposed in 1959 that the upper reaches of the canal, including the Leawood pumping station, should be retained.

[12] By 1971, Derbyshire County Council were actively considering including the upper reaches of the canal in a High Peak Park development scheme.

[15] By the time the IWA held their National Rally in 1974, they announced growing interest in a plan to restore the lower reached of the Cromford Canal as well.

They also attempted to create a drainage channel, so that water could pass down the canal rather than becoming a flood hazard in times of heavy rain.

[17] As confidence grew, they repaired leaks in the banks, and borrowed two Smalley excavators for the Waterway Recovery Group to begin dredging the channel, but they were too small for the job.

[20] As the scope of the project grew, the society transformed itself into a limited company on 4 January 1979, and employed a full-time worker later that month.

[23] Other groups which provided volunteer labour included engineering apprentices, Girl Guides, trainee nurses, Matlock Fire Brigade, Alfreton young offenders, Scouts, Foreign Exchange students and Army personnel.

[25] Once Derbyshire County Council owned the canal, they applied for a grant of £5,613 from the Department of the Environment to refurbish the Grade II* listed building.

[26] After eight years, the engine was ready to steam again, and once the teething problems were resolved, the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire formally opened the pumping station on 3 May 1980.

In March 2013 dredging began on a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) length between Leawood Pumphouse and Cromford Wharf with the aim of making it navigable for narrowboats.

The historic cargo narrowboat, named Birchwood, has given visitors the opportunity to experience both horse-drawn and electric-powered trips along the dredged section since 2013.

The group runs a trip boat, Birdswood, between Cromford Wharf and Leawood Pump House, although even after dredging of the section in 2013 it is quite shallow.