Since the development of photography in the middle of the last century, the picture of our past provided by the written chronicle, the museum artefact or by failing memory has been augmented by the most vivid and immediate relic of former times, the photograph. Authenticating even as it describes, the photograph is of its time in a way that other representations of the past are not. This photographic journey recalls the final years in the life of the two canals, now being restored by the C...

The scenic beauty of the canals' route through the Golden Valley provided professionals and amateur photographers of the 1870-1930 period with a plethora of subjects. Therefore, the commercial and pleasure aspects of the stretch from Eastington to Cirencester have been well recorded. As much of the two canals, especially the Thames & Severn, has been destroyed, this collection endeavours to show how they appeared and were used before closure. However, this pictorial record is not devoted s...

This volume completes a trilogy of albums dedicated to capturing as much as possible of the evidence from historic photographs of two famous canals which together linked the rivers Severn and Thames. Today this route, now in part under active restoration, is known as the Cotswold Canals, a snappy modern name for the historic Stroudwater Navigation, opened in 1779, and the Thames & Severn Canal through which the first boat passed ten years later. Gathering over 800 images together in three ...

The Birmingham canals truly got underway following an advertisement in Birmingham's Aris's Gazette of 26 January 1767. The plan was to take a waterway from Wolverhampton to Birmingham with a branch to Lord Dudley's coal mines near Wednesbury, and this canal network continued to grow extensively until the 1860s. With the decline in the demand for coal after the Second World War, the BCN lost sixty of its miles, but it has nevertheless largely survived to the present day. R. H. Davies, autho...

The River Medway travels through the highly populated areas of Gillingham, Chatham, Maidstone and Tonbridge, among a number of other smaller towns and villages. Married to the Thames, the Medway has a rich and varied history. Ancient sites are plentiful along the River Medway; Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman evidence can all be found. Two military battles have also been named after the river: the Battle of the Medway during the Roman invasion of Britain; and the Raid on the Medway, which to...

The vital interconnections that rivers share with the land, the sky, and usRivers are essential to civilization and even life itself, yet how many of us truly understand how they work? Why do rivers run where they do? Where do their waters actually come from? How can the same river flood one year and then dry up the next? Where the River Flows takes you on a majestic journey along the planet's waterways, providing a scientist's reflections on the vital int...

500,000 Years in the Life of a River. The longest river in England, the Thames, has witnessed the entire history of a country and its capital. The Story of the Thames looks at history from the river’s perspective, investigating how the life of the nation has affected the river and, in turn, how the river has been viewed by those who live along its length. In doing so it spans 500,000 years (longer than human history) and extends from source to mouth. The Thames is often taken for granted. ...

The Manchester Ship Canal was a huge engineering achievement. It included seven swing bridges and the aqueduct at Barton, and helped turn the cotton-producing capital of Great Britain into an inland seaport. This was a feat many at the time believed could not be achieved. One of the wonders of the modern industrial world, the Manchester Ship Canal, with its huge locks and ocean-going vessels, was a magnetic draw for enthusiastic Victorians who marvelled at its construction. This book looks...

The 50-mile stretch of the River Tamar forms a unique county boundary between the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The Tamar's source is East Youlstone near Bude less than 4 miles from the north Cornish coast. But instead of flowing northward into the Atlantic Ocean it flows slowly south. through reed-fringed mudscapes passing the towns of Launceston, Gunnislake, and Saltash before widening out and eventually meeting the English Channel at Plymouth Sound. In the sound the river merges with ...

From a water-laden bog in the Cambrian Mountains of Wales to the mighty Bristol Channel, the River Severn carves its way through some of the most picturesque and varied landscapes in the country. River Severn: From Source to Sea follows the entire course of the river, describing its relationship with the surrounding countryside and how it has shaped local inhabitants’ lives for centuries. A rivulet surfacing on the slopes of Plynlimon marks the beginning of the Severn, known here by its We...

London's hidden - or lost - rivers are a source of fascination. This book concentrates on seven North London rivers - the Fleet, the Walbrook, the Tyburn, the Westbourne, Counter's Creek, Stamford Brook and the Black Ditch. The author, a professional water engineer, describes their sources and traces their individual histories, setting out their influence on the development of London and their use and abuse by society, eventually leading to their disappearance. The original watercourses of...

Did you know that the city of Oxford is built on a series of islands? This unique book is an opportunity to explore an intricate network of waterways that are often overlooked by visitors to the city. Discover gushing mill streams and picturesque flood meadows walk along an industrial canal and a working river; watch leisure boating and competitive rowing. Look for evidence in the names of neighbourhoods, streets, bridges and pubs giving clues to the watery history of this city. Discover w...