Swarkestone Walk

Swarkestone walk is an easy relaxing walk.  For the most part, it follows the banks of the Trent and Mersey Canal. The walk includes a visit to Weston-on-Trent, which has been inhabited for centuries; on the southeast side, the remains of an Iron Age settlement have been found. Early settlers were attracted by the fertile soil.

The main points of interest on this walk are:

• Swarkestone Pavilion
  • Also known as the Summer House and the Grandstand, among other names, the Swarkestone Pavilion was constructed between 1630 to 1632 and is believed to have been used as a bowling green. It was at one time owned by the Harpur family of Swarkestone, but is now owned by the Landmark Trust who lease it as holiday accommodation.
• ‘Hospoda’
  • A former waterman’s tavern, the Ukrainian Country Social Club was set up for the use of Ukrainians and their friends and other visitors. A camp to the north was established at the main home for the Ukrainian Youth Association, which is still used by Ukrainians to this day.
• Weston-on-Trent
  • A small village only a short distance away from the River Trent, hence the name. The Trent and Mersey Canal, however, was the main driving force for the growth of the village, as the canal networks became a cornerstone of industrial growth during the Industrial Revolution and Weston was very well placed to benefit from it.
• Weston Lock
  • Constructed in 1770, the Weston Lock is one of the deepest on the Trent and Mersey Canal. Weston Lock is a protected site, receiving a Grade II Listing in 1987. The Priest House Hotel on the Leicestershire side of the river is set in a converted mill tower, where a mill has stood for over a thousand years.
• Swarkestone Lock
  • Swarkestone Lock used to be where the Derby Canal would branch off, connecting the Trent and Mersey and Erewash Canals together. Completed in 1796, the Derby Canal would see relative success until the development of the railways in the 19th Century. The Canal would eventually be abandoned in 1964 and all that remains is a 50-yard stretch from the Swarkestone Lock and the toll house converted into the headquarters of the Swarkestone Boat Club.
• Swarkestone Lows
  • Slightly Northwest of the Lowes Farm near Swarkestone, the Swarkestone Lows is the name for a site of a Bronze Age barrow cemetery. Evidence of structures from the Beaker people, Britain’s Bronze Age inhabitants, and a small amount of Neolithic tools have been found in the area.

Visit Discover Derby – who put the walk together – for the route directions and more information on the key landmarks.