Canals in Britain

In the early years of the Industrial Revolution, canals formed the arteries of Britain. Most waterways were local concerns, carrying cargoes over short distances and fitted into regional groups with their own boat types linked to the major river estuaries.

This new history of Britain's canals starts with the first Roman waterways, moving on to their golden age in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, and ends with the present day, describing the rise and fall of canal building and use in the UK. It tells the story of the narrow boats and barges borne by the canals, and the boatmen who navigated them as well as the wider tale of waterway development through the progress of civil engineering.

Replete with beautiful photographs, this is a complete guide to some of the most accessible and beautiful pieces of Britain's heritage.

The book covers:

• Early History
• The Rivers are Improved
• Building the Canals
• Canal Mania
• Working the Canals
• The Railways Arrive
• Victorian Opportunities
• War and the Depression
• Nationalisation and Beyond

Praise for Canals in Britain

"Canals In Britain is an absolutely ideal introductory handbook on the subject, outlined in a logical historical sequence but bringing it right up to date... ideal to get visitors new to the subject involved in Britain's waterways and a book that should be on every school library's shelves."
- Harry Arnold, Towpath Talk

About the Author

Tony Conder has been involved with inland waterways since his parents first took him for walks beside the Wey Navigation. For twenty-five years he was Curator of the British Waterways Collection. Initially he was based at Stoke Bruerne, from where he collected objects from all over the canal system. In 1988 he opened the National Waterways Museum at Gloucester and in 1999 became Curator to the Waterways Trust, taking the collection to national designated status.