Canal Wharf and Marina

The Trent and Union Canal was built in 1777 and was originally called the 'Grand Trunk Canal', the builder being James Brindley. The village was the scene of much barge traffic and children from the boats came to this school from time to time. Up to the 1960's there was a thriving wharf yard at the rear of the Green Dragon public house, served by the canal and the railway. The brick warehouse building was built in the 18th century. It was burnt down in disastrous fire which started at 2-0pm on July 10th 1935. The fire was thought to have been caused by spontaneous combustion of grain stored in the warehouse. The ruins were demolished for safety reasons in June 1936. Wharf cottage survived as a private house into the early 1960's but was totally demolished when the village Marina was constructed by Derbyshire CC in 1973.

There were three branch railway lines into the wharf, one of which went right up to the wall of the cottage. The brick warehouse had its own weigh bridge and the wharf was operated by G L White, dealing mainly in coal and corn, into the 1960's. There was a cattle pound at the east end of the wharf. Luggage for Repton school boys was loaded into carriages in a siding by the embankment. There was a mobile hand operated crane, mounted on rails, in the wharf.