The original purpose of canals was to link regions of industry to major rivers and ports at a time when poor quality roads and packhorses was the only method of transport. Built a half a century before the arrival of the railways, the canals provided a watery artery for trade and commerce that made possible the Industrial Revolution. They remain as a constant reminder of that turning point of Britain's history when an agricultural way of life that had existed for centuries gave way to an industrial economy. This book looks at the wonderful variety of structures that made the canals work in...