Waterways A-B

by Mike Taylor.

Since the early 1700s, the Aire and Calder Navigation has held the position of Britain's most successful inland waterway, competing realistically with the railways after their arrival.

This book depicts both the waterway itself and its furniture, as well as the large variety of vessels using it.

Paperback. 144 pages. 15.6cms x 23.4cms approx. Black and white photos or drawings on most pages.

by Gerald Box. Sub-titled - The Moira cut, coal and the last days of carrying.

The story of the revival of coal trading in 1969 as a means to save the Ashby Canal from dereliction. Illustrated with colour and black & white photographs.

Soft back. 109 pages, 14.9cms x 21.1cms approx.

by Jamie Davies.

This is a history of the river from the first mentions of making it navigable by the Earl of Warwick in the early 1400s to the end of the 1900s.

Soft back. 152 pages. 14.8cms x 21cms approx. Illustrated with black & white photos and drawings.

by Jan Dobrzynski & Keith Turner.

Flowing for nearly 100 miles through gently rolling countryside, the Avon is one of the most quintessentially English rivers in the country.

This book takes the reader on a journey in words and pictures through the five counties traversed by the Avon, using images from more than 250 postcards drawn from the authors' collections.

Soft back. 160 pages. 17.2cms x 24.8cms approx. Black & white photos.

by P.A.L. Vine.

This historical account of the life of the canal, first published in 1968, has been extensively revised and brings the story up to date. It describes the restoration of the canal by the Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society, formed in 1966, culminating in its reopening by the Duke of Kent in 1991.

Hardback. 235 pages. 16cms x 22.4cms approx. Illustrated with over 70 photographs, line drawings and maps.

Normal price £14.99

by Dieter Jebens & Roger Cansdale.

The Basingstoke Canal was built towards the end of the 'great canal mania' in the eighteenth century. It was intended to provide a transport route to and from London via the Wey and the Thames, but the expectations of the owners were never realised and no dividends were ever paid to the shareholders. In 1866 the Canal Company declared itself bankrupt.

The canal passed through various owners until the local county councils were persuaded to buy it and with a partnership with the Canal Society and other voluntary bodies it was reopened in 1991.

Soft back. 128 pages. 16.5cms x 23.6cms approx. Illustrated with black & white photos and drawings.

by Ray Shill.

The Birmingham Canal Navigations lie at the heart of the British canal network and have a rich heritage that spans over two centuries. It served the busiest and most concentrated industrial region of the country.

Ray Shill examines the industrial archeology of the network, looking at the structures, trade work and craft on the waterway, as well as providing detailed maps of the network's various sections. He also considers the BCN's cottage numbering system.

Softback. 128 pages. 16.5cms x 23.6cms approx. Black and white photos or drawings on most pages.

by Ray Shill.

This book illustrates Birmingham's canal heritage: the development of these canals and the city's role as an inland port over a 150 year period.

Ray's selection of over 200 black and white photographs presents the changes from their busiest to the decline and transition to the leisure trade. There are also a number of maps showing the canals' extent within the borough.

Soft back. 128 pages. 17.2cms x 24.3cms approx.

by Paul Collins.

During the Industrial Revolution this transport system developed to serve the steel, coal, lime and glass industries that grew up so extensively. Now much of the area's heavy industry has disappeared, but many of the canals remain.

Black Country Canals includes a wide range of black and white photographs, many previously unpublished, and is accompanied by fascinating and informative captions.

Softback. 128 pages. 17.2cms x 24.4cms approx.

by Ray Shill.

In this book Ray covers the Wardle Canal (all 97 yards of it), the Shropshire Union's Middlewich Arm, the Ellesmere and Chester, and the Ellesmere and Montgomery Canals.

He presents historical commentary on each canal, accompanied by a wide variety of old and more recent photographs.

Soft back. 160 pages. 18.5cms x 24cms approx. Colour and black & white photos and diagrams.

by Cyril J. Wood.

Since its completion in 1765, the canal has been regularly used by commercial and passenger traffic; it was one of the major routes of the North West that helped Manchester develop as a centre of trade and industry in the nineteenth century.

In this book, Cyril recounts the fascinating history of the Bridgewater Canal, from its conception and construction to its subsequent successes including its use as a leisure waterway today. His detailed commentary is complimented by his descriptive guide to cruising the canal and valuable navigational information.

Soft back. 128 pages. 16.4cms x 23.4cms. Illustrated with over 150 black and white photos and drawings.

by Ron & Marlene Freethy.

This book is a personal journey along the waterway, and is intended to help readers plan quiet walks through the history, natural history and industrial archaeology of the canal. It came about following research and recording of BBC programmes in 1995.

Original RRP £9.95p.

Soft back. 92 pages. 21cms x 20cms approx. Colour and black & white photos.

by Tony Haskell.

A canal to connect the Bristol and English Channels was envisioned in Somerset at the height of England's Canal Mania. Sadly this vision was never completed, but the section linking Bridgwater and Taunton opened in 1827.

This book looks at the various canal schemes, companies, boatmen and the struggle to keep the canal open, and also documents the history of the River Tone.

Soft back. 17.3cms x 24.7cms. Illustrated with black and white photos and diagrams.