Pennine Dreams

A definitive anatomy of a canal restoration, written from the perspective of the Huddersfield Canal Society who spearheaded the project. They moved it from a fanatic's pipe dream to a living reality which gripped the imaginations of the various local communities along its route.

The book gives heart to any would be canal restorers – if they can reopen the HNC you can restore anything!

Most tellingly it reveals how the restoration movement grew from small beginnings and little official support to an organisation which employed hundreds. The project moved with the times, embracing whatever grant or scheme was available, labour under the Manpower Services Commission's job creation scheme, local grants, municipal council grants, reclaimed land grants, European monies and finally the National Heritage Lottery Fund.