History of Canals and Waterways in England

The History Of UK Canals

Most of us rarely give a second thought to the history of canals, although many people have experienced the pleasure they offer, either by enjoying a few drinks at canal side pub, or maybe you have enjoyed a bicycle ride or walk along an inner city canal. We sometimes forget that these very same canals have played an important part in the history of the UK.

The history of UK canals dates back to 120 AD;but that date is not the beginning of the history of all canals. The first to build canals were the Chinese as early as the tenth century-but the history of canals in the UK begins shortly after that. The history of UK canals is not just about the structures themselves, it is about the many innovative geniuses and engineers who created the them and changed the country.

From Rome To The UK

The first canals built in the United Kingdom were constructed by the Romans. They were not purely man-made, as canals are today, but they were extensions of or connections to existing rivers.

One of the first in the history of UK canals is the Fossdyke. The Fossdyke was built with the intention of connecting the Lincoln River to the Trent River. The purpose of the Fossdyke canal was to improve drainage and also to allow for navigation. Later, around 50 AD, the Romans also built the Caer Dyke.

The Rise of Canal Technology

Although the many of the early canals would be classed as fairly basic by today's standards, it is important to remember that they paved the way in many waterways technologies. The Poind lock is a fine example of waterways technology in action, the Exeter Canal, completed in 1566, had the first Poind locks in Britain. The locks included vertical, lifting gates.

Another type of gate, the mitre gate, which consisted of V shaped gates held together by water pressure, was first used on the River Lee later known as the Lee Navigation at Waltham Abbey in Essex. Other important early canals in UK history include River Welland, Stroudwater Navigation, and Sankey Canal.


The English Go Canal Crazy

After 1776, the British focused heavily on constructing canals. This focus began with the Bridgewater Canal, which was finished that year. This canal was the project of the Third duke of Bridgewater, who hired the engineer James Brindley to design the canal. The Bridgewater Canal was regarded as an extremely exceptional accomplishment; the canal's tunnels connected directly to a series of mines at Worsely. Built both with visual appeal and functionality in mind, the Bridgewater Canal started the great age of canal building.

Large amounts of money were designated for canal building during this time period. Overall, the British canal system expanded greatly from the 1770's to the 1830's, until it covered over 4,000 miles! The crazy canal building was inspired in part by the success of the Bridgewater Canal, and also by the industrialization in the British midlands and the north.

After being the main architect of the well-received Bridgewater Canal, Brindley built many more canals and became quite famous for them. The next endeavor in the history of UK canals was to construct aqueducts that covered long distances. Brindley contributed to this aim with the construction of several canals.

The Grand Cross of canals was an ambitious undertaking, yet in the end it was very successful. The project involved linking four large rivers, including the Severn River, the Mersey River, the Humber River, and the Thames River.

The Full and Rise of Canals

After the golden age, canals began to decline in importance. This was mostly due to the increasing popularity of railroads. Though the canal system had small revivals during World War I and World War II, it never again saw a golden age like the one of the late eighteenth century. In the twentieth century, most canals in the UK were nationalized.

In 1968, the Transport Act was passed. This classified canals in three groups: commercial canals, cruising canals, and remainder canals. However, the act set no guidelines for upkeep. Many canals designated as "Remainder Canals" were abandoned. Recently, there has been a movement to reconstruct many of the historic canals in Britain.

Some Things Never Change

Despite all the changes that the history of canals in the UK has seen, the historic value of canals will be forever ingrained in British culture. Canals are a part of Britain's past, present, and future.

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