Chase Bridge crosses over the Cromford Canal between Whatstandwell
and Ambergate and today is within the Derwent Valley World
Heritage site. It was numbered Bridge 14. This very picturesque
postcard would have been published no later than 1902, though
it is likely the picture was taken a year or two earlier.
J. B. Wallis, a Sheffield journalist, wrote the following
accolade about the bridge and the Canal a few years later:
"The Derwent Valley from Ambergate towards Matlock
is perhaps at its finest just now. The best way to take is
the canal towing-path, which may be reached by a short lane
leading to the right of the Matlock highway two or three
hundred yards from Ambergate station. ... For a mile or more
the canal passes along the fringe of Crich Chase, a very
considerable fragment of the ancient Forest of Duffield,
and the walk is through a maze of sylvan beauty. The oaks
are just sprinkled with their first golden leaves, the birches
are lightly veiled in the most delicate green, while the
sycamore foliage clusters richly in bright green flakes and
tawny tufts.
Passing under Chase Bridge - "a hoary eyebrow for the gleam
beyond"- the canal sweeps round a splendid curve to Whatstandwell.
On the right are steep grassy slopes, diversified by patches
of woodland ; and on the left, in descending order, are the
railway, road, and river, with the canal here running along
side by side. The river is, of course, the oldest by many
ages, then comes the canal (1793), the road (1820), and finally
the railway (circa 1852).
... The valley is remarkably well wooded for miles, and all
the beauties of wood and water are there represented. It
is as fine a walk as any in Derbyshire, Dovedale not excepted"[1].
The newly built road was mentioned by Mr. Barker in his 1827
guide book "The
Panorama of Matlock" (see second paragraph).
In early 1925 all the trees around the tow-path side of
the bridge were cut down. "The view
has not been improved thereby; the bridge looks bare and unfinished
at that side". It was hoped that eventually the trodden
and flattened undergrowth would recover[2]!
The Canal froze over in 1933 when overnight temperatures plummeted
for three nights in succession. The bridge is close to the
former Ambergate Wireworks site. Whilst the canal's ice was
not thick enough for people to skate on it, the low-lying
land between the bridge and the Wireworks also froze and skating
was possible there instead[3].
Later images show strapping posts close to the bridge but
they are not shown here or on two other images of the same
vintage.
 A good modern photo of the bridge, with map, can be found
on the geograph website
It was taken by Graham Hogg.
Whatstandwell is mentioned in the following:
Kelly's 1891 Directory, Crich - Whatstandwell was part of the
Crich entry.
Cromford Canal is mentioned in the Cromford
Trade Directories section of the site. A description can be found in White's
1857 Directory
Derbyshire's Parishes, 1811: Derbyshire, Rivers (and Canals), including Cromford Canal, are mentioned in this early Derbyshire history |
