Tales from the old Inland Waterways
£11.95
This book is out of print. The copies available are second hand, in near-as-new or very good condition.
This is a nostalgic look at how life on our rivers and canals has changed during the last century, through the memories of those men and women whose work both on and by the waterways was of vital importance to the country.
Our rivers and canals hold an undisputed attraction for the many people who choose to spend their leisure time on or by the water. But few realise what an important role our inland waterway system once played in the economy of the country, and how many different people have spent their working lives either on the water or maintaining the waterways themselves.
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Euan Corrie travelled far and wide to bring together a group of people who look back to the days when the rivers and canals were used for far more than just recreational purposes. The men and women represented recall the days when waterways formed the principal means of transportation around the country. Their skills vary enormously, from those who lived and worked on traditional daily painted narrowboats of the Midland canals to the skipper of a tug on the Manchester Ship Canal. Also included are those who were responsible for keeping the canals open to for trade – the dredgers and lock keepers; a blacksmith who was responsible for repairs to Telford’s awe inspiring Pontcysyllte Aqueduct; and the carpenter’s apprentice who moved up to take charge of all the maintenance work on a 50-mile length of canal – and those who look back with affection at the days when horses were used to tow the boats along the waterways. There are fascinating stories of home life too, and information on how families coped on the waterways.
A brief history of the development of our river and canal navigation system provides the background for these reminiscences, further enhanced by details of the waterways on which the individuals worked, and maps which explain the complexities of how little used transport systems. A selection of ‘dredgings’ from the archives, evocative photographs, maps by Richard Dean, and specially commissioned watercolour illustrations, many by Edward Paget-Tomlinson, complete this look at how life on inland waterways used to be.
Author: Euan Corrie
Binding: Hardback
Published: March 1998
Pages: 192
Size: 270 x 200 mm
ISBN: 0715305425
Publisher’s Price (in 1998): £17.99
