Dove and Dearne Canal

Not much remains these days of the Dove and Dearne Canal at Barnsley. The longest stretch of the former canal is between Darton Lane and Smithie Lane. Then there’s a shorter stretch between Old Mill Lane and Stairfoot.
The canal derived it’s name from the two rivers that fed it with water, the River Dove that flows from Worsborough Dam North Eastward into the River Dearne and the River Dearne that starts as a spring just beyond Darton and flows Eastward into the River Don.
I cannot remember the canal ever being in use for it’s original purpose that was to carry barges filled with coal from mines at Darton, Wilthorpe and Worsborough and with paper from the former Star Paper Mill that used to be situated between Old Mill Lane and The Fleets, at Smithies, to the docklands of Goole, Immingham and Hull on the River Humber.
What I can remember is the «Seven Locks» between Old Mill Lane and Stairfoot. It’s due to those former locks (now all disappeared) that Stairfoot derived it’s name. Stairfoot Bottom, was roughly in the vicinnity of the bottom end of the lowest of the seven canal locks. So it was the stair foot bottom of the stairway of locks.
Beside the disused shorter stretch of canal you can still see today the remains of the lock-keeper’s house. Only the basement ruins remain, but these are still very interesting to look at and roam around and photograph.