Along the Trail, Ickles, Rotherham

Like last Saturday, I set out this morning once again, to attempt to fulfill the 'Location, Location, Location' brief set by our President at Rotherham Photographic Society. This time, I decided to explore the grittier side of the Trans Pennine Trail - that which passes through Rotherham centre alongside the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation.

And once again, it wasn't an auspicious start with flat grey skies threatening rain, and then providing it in a steady drizzle throughout the morning. It wasn't until I got in the car and set off back home that the sun came out. But that's Sod's Law for you!

To some extent, it was more of a challenge to my photographic creativity than last week. I certainly got the grit I was looking for, but struggled to find too much of beauty or intrigue in amongst the drabness of industry and the brown, waste strewn sludge of the canal. Head down and hood up though, I kept venturing onwards until I happened upon the Ickles Boat Park at Ickles Lock, near the centre of Rotherham.

Ickles itself was once a small hamlet on the Sheffield Road and a predominately agricultural area until the 19th century filled up the river valley with industry. What I hope my picture reveals is that almost peaceful juxtaposition between the industry of today and its more rural past particularly with the solitary fisherman to the right of the shot enjoying his silent contemplation. You'd never think that, just out of shot are scrap yards and derelict buildings, heavy machinery and the thrust of industry.

I decided to monochrome the shot, followed by a touch of infra-red, as I wanted to draw the eye away from the flat, cloud covered skies and I hope it has worked. Only you can judge!

A little history for you .....

Work began in 1722 to make the River Don navigable to enable bulky goods and raw materials to be carried easily and cheaply. Work was carried out both upstream and downstream from Doncaster with the Don Navigation Canal reaching Rotherham in 1744. Above Rotherham the navigation followed the river to Bromley Sands where a short cut bypassed Ickles Mill. It rejoined the river as far as Deadman's Hole and then entered another cut to Tinsley. The horse path from Rotherham to Tinsley, which passes through Ickles, was not opened, however, until 1822.

In 1846 the Don Navigation took over the Dearne and Dove Canal, in 1848 the Sheffield Canal and in 1849 they leased the Stainforth and Keadby Canal. In 1850 the Don Navigation amalgamated with the South Yorkshire, Doncaster and Goole Railway creating the South Yorkshire Railway and River Dun Company which controlled much of the rail and river trade of South Yorkshire until it was dissolved in 1874 and its assets transferred to the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MSLR) who, unfortunately, had very little interest and made no investment in the canal.

In 1895, the canal passed into new ownership once more but the navigation company had insufficient capital to carry out their grand scheme of improvements although various smaller developments and upgrading took place.

Over the years there have been further alterations and improvements to those parts of the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation which had been the Don Navigation and there are some lovely spots along the way but not, alas, in Rotherham where the canal runs through still heavily industrialised areas.