The Architecture of Canals

Our appreciation of the network of canals through Britain is greatly enhanced by the structures that dot their course – bridges, locks, tunnels, aqueducts, cottages, pubs and workshops. Canal engineers usually used local materials but sometimes had to adjust their designs to take into account the terrain or the local landowner and this contributed to the wide variety of styles. Bridges, single arched to cross narrow water or manoeuvrable for cheapness, were sometimes decorated to match a stately home and some were ingeniously constructed to allow towropes to pass through. This book looks at the wonderful variety of structures that made the canals work in their commercial heyday and are still enjoyed today by pleasure boaters and walkers.