Wednesday 30 December 2009

Boat Inn, Pinxton

Boat Inn at Pinxton
Cromford Canal
December 2009

Our visit to Pinxton was supposed to include a pub meal, and I had considered sampling the culinary delights of the Boat Inn, an old boating pub which stands a couple of hundred yards down the canal.

Library pictures on Wikepedia revealed a very run down looking pub which didnt' look too exciting, and contingency plans were therefore laid in case it wasn't up to scratch. In the event the Boat Inn was both worse and better than we expected.

Worse, in that the old building has been demolished and now exists only in the form of a large pile of rubble.


Old Boat Inn at Pinxton

Better, in that a whole new pub has been built on the site.

The snag is that the pub isn't finished and stands as an empty shell, with progress seemingly stalled. It will be a lovely spot when it is complete, but I have to wonder about it's location. If you know where to find it, it would be great but I fear that there is insufficient local trade to support it and it is too remote to bring custom in from elsewhere.



New Boat Inn at Pinxton

Now, if the canal were restored, which is far more than an outside possibility, the place would make a delightful interim destination pending full restoration of the whole Cromford Canal up the Amber Valley. The section of canal in front the pub is still in water, and it is easy to visualise a line of boats moored up against the old stone edging, smoke curling from their chimneys whilst the boaters socialise in the warmth of the nearby canalside inn.



Canal at Pinxton

In the meantime we had to look elsewhere for our lunch!

6 comments:

pinxton local said...

hi the boat inn was not demolished it just had an extenstion and has been gutted inside and out it was supposed to have opened early 2009 but im guessing there was a few problems it still remains shut they have not served food there for years and was a bit tatty but old and young and there dogs always made it a good night every night i think nick the owner should have just gave it a lick of paint as there is going to be a massive eating section which will turn it into a smaller version of a brewsters type inn

pinxton local said...

ps to add the canal is going to be reopened using the river erewashs diversion route which still remains after the open casting was finished and locals could support the pub as before its massive redesign was making a large profit indeed

Andy Tidy said...

Pinxton Local
It seems such a shame to see a lovely pub like that all shut up and unfinished.
It will make a great canal pub when everything if finished.
The refurb is so complete, and the change so dramatic, you can appreciate my assumption that it is a completely new structure.
Capt A

Ian mccraight said...

Boat inn set to reopen July 2018 time will tell

Hugh said...

It opened at the end of last year (2018), and is getting very good reviews on Tripadvisor! Must go check it out . . .

Unknown said...

The Boat Inn is now OPEN and serving excellent food.