The wonders of the


UK’s inland waterways network and its history


Adapted from an original article by Marco Stojanovik


The United Kingdom’s modern canal system emerged in the late 18th century in response to the changing demands initially of the industrious revolution and then of the Industrial Revolution. This period saw the development of a number of new inventions, discoveries and technologies, which allowed for the mass production of goods. This in turn widened employment opportunities, leading to mass urbanization as millions left the country to work in trade, industry, and manufacturing in cities. As the manufacturing processes sped up across Britain, output increased, prices fell, and markets expanded.


Before the Industrial Revolution, the majority of goods were produced and distributed locally on a small- scale. Now, however, with the mass production of goods and commodities, large quantities needed to be moved to markets further afield around the country. An economic and reliable transport system was required.


Roads, often no more than simple tracks in those days, were poorly


suited to handle such large weights and the necessary vehicles to move this produce did not exist. Even along the higher quality roads, travel based on horses carried risks when transporting fragile items (such as glass and china) and was inefficient to move goods such as fresh produce to markets quickly enough.


British waterways were favoured instead. Goods had long been exported and imported through


118 | The Report • June 2022 • Issue 100


large seaports such as Liverpool, Bristol and London, and there were thousands of navigable rivers in Britain to link to the ports. However, by the time of the Industrial Revolution, the problem was that these rivers didn’t link to the industrial north and the Midlands, and so there was no inland waterway network to connect the mass-produced goods with the consumer-based south and ports for export.


Back in Time


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