WHEN a young English nobleman was thwarted in love he abandoned the court, retired to his estate near Manchester and built a canal to serve his coal mines.
The Bridgewater Canal was the sensation of the age and led others to follow the example of the enterprising Duke of Bridgewater.
From his starting point in 1761, over the next half-century Britain was covered by a network of waterways that became the lifeblood of the Industrial Revolution, including the Leeds Liverpool, which served the mills and coal fields of East Lancashire.
A new book, Canal 250, now describes the great engineers, such as Telford, Brindley and Jessop, and the industrialists, such as Wedgwood and Arkwright, who promoted the canals they built.
It outlines the history of the canal network, from the glory days, through the years of decline, and their subsequent leisure revival.
It also tells of the anonymous navvies who dug the canals, the men and women who ran the boats, and the workers who kept the canals running.
l Canal 250 has been written by Anthony Burton, the author of more than 70 books and a leading authority on canals. Priced at £17.99, it is published by The History Press.
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