Canals: The Making of a Nation

The period of canal building gave rise to the emerging discipline of civil engineering. In the late 18th century people viewed engineers as soldiers; engineering then was dominated by the military.

Carving up our landscape in order to build canals in the late 1700s helped pave the way for a far deeper understanding of what existed below our feet. The period was significant in the development of the new science of geology.

During the 'Golden Age' of canals, capitalism was changing rapidly, moving us ever closer to the financial and economic systems we are familiar with today.

This is the story of the men who built our canals ‚'the navigators' or ‚'navvies'. Their story is often overlooked or misunderstood. They represented an ‚'army'‚ of hard physical men who were capable of enduring tough labour for long hours.

Once the canals were built - men, women and children toiled for long hours, often in dangerous conditions; and at huge personal cost.

In this final episode, we look at the modern history of canals and the changes that took place after WW2. They were no longer places of smoke, toil and industry, or places for 'fast' transportation. What was to be done with our canals?