 Just to the north of the River Calder there used to be another navigation cut - the Aire & Calder "Old Cut", dating from around 1702. The canal company's yard was located there, as well as the company's board room. The building, thankfully, still survives and is now used for other purposes; the cut is filled in. Apart from the older buildings, the area contains industrial buildings and is looking somewhat run down. The Aire and Calder Navigation Head Office was moved to Leeds in 1851.
Nowadays, the Fall Ings Cut (part of the Calder & Hebble Navigation) provides the link, via Fall Ings Lock, with the Aire & Calder Navigation to the east of the city.* |
 This section of the 1890 Ordnance Survey map shows the area around Wakefield Bridge. The modern Waterfront Development is located between the Fall Ings Cut and the bridge. |
 Downstream from Wakefield. The remains of the lock at the junction of the Aire & Calder Navigation and the Barnsley Canal. |
 Fall Ings Lock, where the Calder & Hebble Navigation and the River Calder (Aire & Calder Navigation) meet. Looking downstream along the Aire & Calder. |
 Another beautiful spot on the River Calder near the old Barnsley Canal junction (looking downstream). On the south bank (right) the route of the long-gone Barnsley Canal passes through the site of the demolished Wakefield Power Station. The old power station area away from the river is a lonely and desolate place and probably best avoided at night, judging by some of the detritus visible during the day. |
 Near the Barnsley Canal - upstream towards Wakefield. The beauty of the river does not extend far beyond the banks, but it is a pleasant walk during the day. |
 River Calder on a pretty decent day in August - in the distance one of the new buildings on the waterfront near Wakefield Bridge, and, before that, Fall Ings Lock on the left. |
 In the distance, a narrowboat heads upstream towards Fall Ings Lock to join the Calder and Hebble Navigation. |
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* Sources include John Goodchild |
Aire and Calder Navigation (Wakefield Branch) - Main Page
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Not all features are shown; there are, for example, other road and rail bridges crossing the river and navigation.
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Read more about Wakefield's canals in Wakefield Canal Trail by John Goodchild, Wakefield Historical Publications (ISBN 0 901869 22 8).
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