Site visits The following pictures were taken during the visits. Background Information Definition of Canal According to Oxford Dictionary, a Canal is “an artificial waterway constructed to allow the passage of boats or ships inland or to convey water for irrigation.” The importance of Canals to Britain During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the existence of inland waterways stimulated the growth of trade, and the major part of canals were built by merchants and landowners to transport coal and goods. It has been associated to the economic development of Britain and considered a key point to make possible the first industrial revolution. Nottingham Canal History In the eighteenth century, the coalmines of Nottinghamshire brought wealth to the region. Since the transport by road used to be slow and more expensive, the development of waterways was encouraged by local landowners and merchants (canalrivertrust.org.uk). The construction of the Nottingham Canal was supported by Lord Middleton to link his mines to the city and help other coalmine owners of Nottingham to compete with the Erewash Canal (canalroutes.net). The Nottingham Canal Company was formed in 1790 and the construction of the canal started in 1792 under the supervision of William Jessop. When Jessop became ill, Henry Green took his place as supervisor consulting Jessop as much as possible. An interesting point about the canal is that local people were so excited about it that thousands of people were present in the banks to celebrate the opening of the first part of the canal in 1793 and watch a decorated boat that the shareholders had put out for the occasion (canalroutes.net). The final part of the canal was finished in 1796, and it started to be used to transport coal, building materials, house bricks, lime and timber; also, a passenger service was run from Cromford to Nottingham (nottsheritagegateway.org.uk). In addition, the River Trent Navigation owners decided to create a new canal between Beeston and Lenton connecting it with Nottingham Canal, so the Nottingham Canal became an alternative route for minor boats, since the River Trent was difficult to navigate in some parts due to shallows, currents and flooding (nottinghamhiddenhistoryteam.wordpress.com). A curious episode happened in 1818. The canal was used to transport gunpowder to the mines of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. One of the boatmen that used to transport it through the canal dropped a hot coal onto a bit of gunpowder, expecting a minor flash, but the damage extended over several streets, killing ten people and destroying the canal company warehouse (canalrivertrust.org.uk). The canal was a success until the company be forced to reduce the tolls. As the company’s income decreased the canal started to decline, so the local coalmine owners started to stimulate the building of railways. In 1840, the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston & Eastern Junction Railway Company took over the Nottingham and Grantham Canals (canalroutes.net). The canal continued to be a moderate success under the control of the railway company. However, in 1854, the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston & Eastern Junction Railway Company merged with the Great Northern Railway company, that did nothing to maintain the traffic alive and then the canal declined more and more (canalroutes.net). The canal survived for 80 years owned by the railway. As for many others canals, the First World War marked the end of canal carriage of goods. The demands for working hours unsuited to canal transport, plus the creation of a road transport system coupled with the falling demand for coal led the canal age to fade away (canalrivertrust.org.uk). It was disused by 1928 and abandoned in 1937, except the 3.6km section between Lenton Chain and the Trent River through the city centre, which was transferred to River Trent Navigation (nottsheritagegateway.org.uk). Most of the canal and inland waterway system was nationalized in 1948 and under the Transport Act of 1962 the canals were transferred to the British Waterways Board (nottsheritagegateway.org.uk). According to the website canalrivertrust.org.uk “for many years the development of canals for leisure was an uphill battle” and the leisure value of canals was only officially recognized after Barbara Castle’s Transport Act of 1968 when public money was given to support waterways use for recreation. Nottingham Canal Today The decline of the canal resulted on a depressed area and since 1990 the City Council have been making efforts to regenerate the area. The revitalization of Tinkers Leen, the construction of offices and commercial areas (south) and apartments (north) are examples of recent changes and improvements. The regeneration brought new life into the area and, despite de loses, the canal’s heritage is still a defining characteristic of the area. The contrast between the old and the new was what affected me the most According to the website www.nottsheritagegateway.org.uk, there are several surviving buildings and structures, such as:
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