History of the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation

The River Don is at the heart of this navigation, linking Sheffield with the east coast via the rivers Trent and Humber. Unlike 'narrow gauge' navigations such as those in the Midlands, with their characteristic narrow boats set at around 70ft (21.4m) by 7ft (2.1m), the South Yorkshire Navigations were made to accommodate much larger Yorkshire keels. These were 61ft (18.6m) long by 15 ft (4.6m) wide and either powered by sail or bowhauled by the families that owned them if there was no wind.

The canal's business was badly hit when the railway reached Sheffield in 1830. But the large payloads the boats could carry helped ensure that the navigations survived longer than many of their smaller counterparts: indeed, such was the Don Navigation's traffic that its owners were able to command a position of strength in their dealings with the developing railway companies.

In the mid 18th Century the River Don was improved upstream to Tinsley, just eastwards of Sheffield, by locks. By 1819, the Cutlers Company had succeeded in extending the navigation by way of a short canal right into the city centre. In 1802, the Stainforth & Keadby Canal connected with the Don to afford an alternate access to the Humber via the Trent, and the system was further expanded in the 1840s when the Dearne & Dove Canal towards Barnsley was bought out by the Don Navigation.

As railway competition intensified, there were calls for a new route to the sea. The Sheffield & South Yorkshire Canal Company Ltd was formed in 1895, and the arrow-straight New Junction Canal was subsequently opened in 1905, connecting with the Knottingley and Goole section of the Aire & Calder Navigation and enabling larger boats to pass. Despite the newer threat posed by road haulage, the navigations survived and were granted a new lease of life beyond the 1970s when they were upgraded to accommodate larger European barges.

Despite an industrial legacy, the navigations do have their rural oases and there is a profusion of wildlife in parts. Navigational circumstances along the Don will vary with rainfall, and a rise of two feet over normal levels may create difficult conditions for small inland craft. Restrictions apply and advance planning is recommended.