Daily archives: October 18, 2023

For many years the wooden Riverside Café stood at Trent Lock, at the end of the footpath that runs from the back of the ‘Trent Lock’ pub, alongside the triangular pond, nearly opposite the Scout Activity Centre. It’s not clear when the Riverside Café was built, but the first café at Trent Lock was opened in 1894 by Jane Rice (1858-1948).  Her husband, Thomas Rice, was the ferryman at Trent Lock, whilst Thomas’s father had been running the Erewash Navigation Inn. Mrs Rice started the business at The Cottage/The White Cottage (perhaps the white cottage behind ‘The Cabin’ next to Trent Villa).  In 1895 she moved to the newly built Trent Villa (the large Victorian house just west of the ‘Trent Lock’ pub). Trent Villa 1896 1921 After Thomas Maltby drowned in 1900, Thomas Rice took over the Erewash Navigation, with Jane taking over after Thomas died.   At some point the wooden café was built beside the Trent on land rented from John Stevenson Grammar at Great Grounds Farm.  By 1921 Jane’s son William Henry Rice was running a cafe at ‘The Bungalow, Riverside’.  His brother, Tom Rice (1885-1970) seems to have run the café for a while.  The painted […]