Why were canals developed?
The modern canal system was mainly a product of the 18th century and early 19th century. It came into being because the Industrial Revolution demanded an economic and reliable way to transport goods and commodities in large quantities. Canals were rivers made by men which were deep enough to cope with barges. Barges, unlike mules or a horse and carriage, were capable of moving nearly forty tonnes of weight. Roads could not handle such weights and were often little more than tracks which were either baked hard in the summer or wet and muddy in the winter, and vehicles needed to move such heavy produce simply did not exist. They were also much faster - some goods such as food had to be transported to market quickly. Canals were the answer to moving heavy objects large distances.
process of development
TIMELINE OF BRITISH CANALS 1750 - 1900
1757 - The Sankey Canal is opened
1759 - First Bridgewater Canal Act passed in Parliament allowing construction to commence on the Bridgewater Canal
1761 - Opening of the Barton Aqueduct, which carried the Bridgewater Canal over the River Irwell
1765 - Bridgewater Canal constructed to Castlefield. The opening of the route leads to the price of coal being halved.
1766 - Bridgewater Canal completed to Runcorn and opened to through traffic
1770 - Construction begins on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
1790's - "Canal Mania" - canals begin to make large profit and are seen as a 'good investment'
1793 - an Act is passed to authorise the Grand Junction Canal from Braunston to Brentford.
1800 - By 1800 there are over 6000 kilometres of canals in Britain
1802 - Thomas Telford begins construction on the Caledonian Canal
1805 - The Pontcysyllte aqueduct is opened
1816 - Construction is completed on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
1850 - By 1850 there are over 7730 kilometres of canals in Britain
1887 - Construction begins on the Manchester Ship Canal
1894 - The Manchester ship canal is opened
1757 - The Sankey Canal is opened
1759 - First Bridgewater Canal Act passed in Parliament allowing construction to commence on the Bridgewater Canal
1761 - Opening of the Barton Aqueduct, which carried the Bridgewater Canal over the River Irwell
1765 - Bridgewater Canal constructed to Castlefield. The opening of the route leads to the price of coal being halved.
1766 - Bridgewater Canal completed to Runcorn and opened to through traffic
1770 - Construction begins on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
1790's - "Canal Mania" - canals begin to make large profit and are seen as a 'good investment'
1793 - an Act is passed to authorise the Grand Junction Canal from Braunston to Brentford.
1800 - By 1800 there are over 6000 kilometres of canals in Britain
1802 - Thomas Telford begins construction on the Caledonian Canal
1805 - The Pontcysyllte aqueduct is opened
1816 - Construction is completed on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
1850 - By 1850 there are over 7730 kilometres of canals in Britain
1887 - Construction begins on the Manchester Ship Canal
1894 - The Manchester ship canal is opened
The first British canal was the Sankey Canal, also known as the Sankey Brooke Navigation and the St Helens Canal. It opened in 1757. The canal began where the Sankey Brook joined the River Mersey, and ran along the valley until it ended at a location north east of St Helens.
The first British Canal to follow a completely new route (as the Sankey Canal followed a river) was the Bridgewater canal. It ran from collieries in Worlsey to Manchester, and was opened in 1761. It was funded by the Duke of Bridgewater and designed by James Brindley.
other major canals - Manchester ship canal and Leeds and liverpool canal
The Manchester ship canal was built in 1894, and upon opening was the largest ship canal in the world. It was 58km long and connected Manchester to the Irish Sea.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal linked the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. It took almost 50 years to build, but over a million tons of coal per year were delivered to Liverpool in the 1860s. Even with the introduction of railways the Leeds and Liverpool canal competed well and remained open throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal linked the cities of Leeds and Liverpool. It took almost 50 years to build, but over a million tons of coal per year were delivered to Liverpool in the 1860s. Even with the introduction of railways the Leeds and Liverpool canal competed well and remained open throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
HOW DID ITS DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTE TO THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF ENGLAND?
Before the Industrial Revolution, Britain was quite a different place than it is today. Industrialization brought new inventions, communications and of course canals. Goods were largely distributed in the locality they were produced.
Without canals, transporting goods on roads was very difficult and time consuming, so people relied on their communities to provide the things they needed - food and clothing was made locally and there wasn't any mass production of goods. The only imported goods came in through large sea ports such as Bristol and London. The rich were almost always were born into wealth; ordinary farmers would rarely ever become of a higher class - once a farmer, they would be for the rest of their lives. Canals changed all of this.
The invention of canals completely revolutionized Britain and was a major factor in the Industrialization of the country. Goods were able to be transported all across the country - quickly, cheaply and easily. People could now produce goods on a larger scale and ship them to far away towns. The benefits of canals outweighed the price of building them, and soon they were everywhere. More jobs appeared, there were more markets opening and much more goods being produced. The working man had the opportunity to expand his business into an industry. Canals created new ways of raising capital, as most canals were built by stock companies. Once the canals could sell shares, and buy land brought in widespread investment. Sea ports could connect to inland trade, and goods were being transported all over Britain, and the price of coal was halved, all due to the development of canals.
Without canals, transporting goods on roads was very difficult and time consuming, so people relied on their communities to provide the things they needed - food and clothing was made locally and there wasn't any mass production of goods. The only imported goods came in through large sea ports such as Bristol and London. The rich were almost always were born into wealth; ordinary farmers would rarely ever become of a higher class - once a farmer, they would be for the rest of their lives. Canals changed all of this.
The invention of canals completely revolutionized Britain and was a major factor in the Industrialization of the country. Goods were able to be transported all across the country - quickly, cheaply and easily. People could now produce goods on a larger scale and ship them to far away towns. The benefits of canals outweighed the price of building them, and soon they were everywhere. More jobs appeared, there were more markets opening and much more goods being produced. The working man had the opportunity to expand his business into an industry. Canals created new ways of raising capital, as most canals were built by stock companies. Once the canals could sell shares, and buy land brought in widespread investment. Sea ports could connect to inland trade, and goods were being transported all over Britain, and the price of coal was halved, all due to the development of canals.
The decline of canals
Canals may have been very useful in some ways, but they did have their problems. Such problems included that canals could freeze solid in winter, and in summer the sun could dry them out easily. Food that rotted quickly could not always be transported by canals as there was no refrigeration. Better roads led to better carriages being developed, which were faster and more comfortable for passengers. Canals would never really be able to travel very fast, so the invention of a faster method of transport was inevitable. Railways were introduced in the 1830's and canals began to decline - although they did remain competitive for a while. It wasn't until the 1850's that railways really took over and replaced canals as the primary source of transport in Britain.