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BRITAIN’S EARLIEST CANAL?

editor — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 18:30:50 +0000

The site of the nation’s first ‘Cut’ is a subject that gets rival tourist boards hot under the collar, and there are at least two main contenders. The Bridgewater Canal, so instrumental in the growth of Manchester as an industrial powerhouse, is thought to be the first, opened in 1761. Northern Ireland’s Newry Canal is older, however, opened in 1742. In terms of waters adapted or cut as navigation channels, Exeter Ship Canal dates back much further, to the 1560s, while strictly speaking the Romans also created channels such as Foss Dyke for similar purposes. Perhaps we’d better let the

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A Brief History of BRITAIN’S CANALS

editor — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 17:37:02 +0000

Walking along a sunny towpath, it is easy to forget that the rise of Britain’s vast canal network was nothing to do with leisure, but has its roots in heavy industry. It takes us to an age of hardship when trains and modern highways were not even a pipe dream. The transportation of goods and materials across the nation demanded a better solution than the muddy, rutted roads in existence. To industrial tycoons, man-made waterways made perfect sense. They allowed greater loads to be carried in a smoother, more reliable manner. Perhaps not surprisingly, the potteries of the Midlands were

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