Shardlow
The Trent and Mersey canal was built to link the River Mersey to the River Trent at Derwent Mouth in Derbyshire. A mile or so before Derwent Mouth and about 6 miles southeast of Derby is the village of Shardlow. Close by is the border with Leicestershire, defined by the River Trent which passes close to the south. Shardlow was an important late 18th century river port for the transshipment of goods to and from the River Trent to the Trent and Mersey Canal. Today Shardlow is considered Britains most complete surviving example of a canal village, with over 50 Grade II listed buildings and a large number of surviving public houses within the designated Shardlow Wharf Conservation Area. The River Trent below Shardlow is navigable all the way to the Humber Estuary, as is the River Soar which joins 2 miles further down stream and made Shardlow an important transport hub and trading point, as wide-beam ships and boats traded cargo commercially with the pack horse trails going across the region.