Tell an Untold Story: Canal History Research

 

Research Summary:

Canal construction took 46 years and it was completed in 1816 (127 miles long WITH 91 locks):

• Trade and industry was flourishing during the Industrial Revolution
• Needed a waterway as a transport link between the East and West (joins both coasts together with Aire and Calder Navigation)
• Passed through lots of limestone and coal mining areas - Most important cargo was coal followed by merchandise 

Why was the canal such a success?

• Very broad locks (62ft x 14 ft) to support short boats (broad vessels capable of carrying cargo of up to 45 tonnes)
• Such a good mode of transport it even competed with railways, still used to transport coal into the 20th century (until 1950s)

How was it utilised in WWII?

• Used as a transport link
• Lots of pubs and barns along the canal were fortified in addition to pillboxes and blockhouses

Why did commercial traffic decline?

• Natural gas was introduced so cole no longer needed to be transported from canal side collieries
• Only a couple of things were transported using the canal in the 1970s, such as timber, grain and herring metal

Maintaining the Canal today - ’the second age of canals':

• As the canal no longer works commercially as a transport line canal enthusiasts have been working to keep it open since the 1950s/60s by trying to bring boats onto it so that it is still used
• It is now used mainly for leisure by boaters
• However, it is one of the quietest canals for leisure and boating in the UK
• This year we celebrated the 200 years that the canal has been open by recreating the first trans-Pennine journey made by merchants on a boat called Kennet. This celebrated and reminded people of the canal's rich history.

I am really interested in this shift in the canal from something which historically served a really important function to something with no real function at all other than perhaps its beauty. But even so, as I have discovered it is not all beautiful. I also enjoyed this folk tale that I read about a cow falling in the canal an being revived with whisky.

References:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/leeds-and-liverpool-canal
http://www.canaljunction.com/canal/leeds_liverpool.htm
http://www.towpathtreks.co.uk/llc/canal_map.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_and_Liverpool_Canal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-37671372