British canal system

Canals are man made waterways, usually connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.

HISTORY

Canals in England, Scotland, Wales

The Industrial Revolution

On the majority of British canals the canal-owning companies did not own or run a fleet of boats. Instead they charged private operators tolls to use the canal. From these tolls they would try, with degrees of success, to maintain a canal and pay back initial loans. In winter special icebreaker boats with reinforced hulls would be used to break the ice.

The boats used on canals were a mixed bunch, including flyers that carried light cargo and passengers at high speed day or night, and a variety of river craft. The workhorse of the canal system, was the traditional narrowboat. These were owned and operated by individual carriers, or companies who would pay the helmsman a wage depending on the distance travelled, and amount of cargo.
There has also been a movement to redevelop canals in inner city areas such as Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham, which have numerous waterways. In these cities, waterways redevelopment provides a focus for successful commercial/residential developments such as Castlefields Basin in Manchester

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It is widely known that Standedge Tunnel is the longest canal tunnel in the country.

Canals in England
Aire and Calder Navigation
Andover Canal
Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal
Ashton Canal
Barnsley Canal
Basingstoke Canal
Baybridge Canal
Birmingham Canal Navigations
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal
Blyth Navigation, Suffolk
Bridgewater Canal
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal
Bude Canal
Calder and Hebble Navigation
Caldon Canal
Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation
Chester Canal
Chesterfield Canal
Chichester Canal
Coalport Canal
Coventry Canal
Cromford Canal
Dartford and Cray Navigation, Kent
Dearne and Dove Canal, South Yorkshire
Derby Canal
Dorset and Somerset Canal
Driffield Navigation, East Yorkshire
Droitwich Canal
Dudley Canal - Dudley Canal Line No 1 and Dudley Canal Line No 2
Ellesmere Canal
Erewash Canal, Derbyshire
Exeter Canal
Fairbottom Branch Canal
Foss Dyke
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal, Gloucestershire
Grand Junction Canal
Grand Union Canal
Grand Western Canal
Grantham Canal
Hatherton Canal
Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal
Hertford Union Canal, London
Hollinwood Branch Canal
Huddersfield Broad Canal
Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Ipswich and Stowmarket Navigation, Suffolk
Islington Branch Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
Lancaster Canal
Lea Navigation, London
Leeds and Liverpool Canal The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is the longest canal in Northern England
Leven Canal
Lichfield Canal
Limehouse Cut, London
Liskeard and Looe Union Canal
Llangollen Canal
Louth Navigation
Macclesfield Canal
Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
Market Weighton Canal
Melton Mowbray Navigation
Middle Level Navigations
Montgomery Canal
Neath and Tennant Canal
Newcastle-under-Lyme Canal
North Walsham & Dilham Canal, Norfolk
North Wilts Canal
Nottingham Canal
Oakham Canal
Oxford Canal, Oxfordshire
Peak Forest Canal
Pocklington Canal
Portsmouth and Arundel Canal
Regent's Canal, London
Ribble Link
Ripon Canal
Rochdale Canal
Rother Link
Royal Military Canal
Salisbury and Southampton Canal
Sankey Canal
Selby Canal
Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation
Shrewsbury Canal
Shropshire Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
Sir Nigel Gresley's Canal, Birmingham
Somerset Coal Canal
St. Columb Canal
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
Stainforth and Keadby Canal
Stockport Branch Canal
Stort Navigation
Stourbridge Canal
Stratford-upon-Avon Canal
Stroudwater Navigation
Tame Valley Canal
Tavistock Canal
Thames and Medway Canal, Kent
Thames and Severn Canal
Trent and Mersey Canal
Ulverston Canal
Uttoxeter Canal
Weaver Navigation, Cheshire
Wardle canal, Cheshire
Wednesbury Old Canal, Birmingham
Wey and Arun Junction Canal
Wey and Godalming Navigations
Wilts and Berks Canal
Worcester and Birmingham Canal
Wyrley and Essington Canal

Canals in Scotland
Aberdeenshire Canal
Caledonian Canal
Crinan Canal
Dingwall Canal
Forth and Clyde Canal
Glasgow, Paisley and Johnstone Canal
Monkland Canal
Union Canal

Canals in Wales
Aberdare Canal
Glamorganshire Canal
Llangollen Canal
Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canal
Montgomery Canal
Neath and Tennant Canal