The canal network of the United Kingdom played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution. The UK was the first country to develop a nationwide canal network which, at its peak, expanded to nearly 4,00
Traditional working canal boats
The Stamford Canal opened circa 1670
The Sankey Canal as viewed from Spike Island in Widnes
The Bridgewater Canal
Narrowboat
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A narrowboat is a particular type of barge, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but wit
History of the British canal system
…Since then, canals have been increasingly used for recreation and tourism. Different types of boats used the canals: the most common was the traditional narrowboat. At the outset the boats were towed by horses, but later they were driven by diesel engines. Some closed canals have been restored, and canal museums…
Modern narrowboats for leisure cruising, Bugsworth Basin, Buxworth, Derbyshire, England
The horse-drawn narrowboat SIÂN on the Montgomery Canal
A narrowboat, crewed by a boatman and his son, carrying barrels of fruit pulp on the Regent's Canal, London, 1944