Identification of historical character and controlling redevelopment.

 

Canals provide a good example of the history of conservation and restoration of industrial heritage in Britain. Following the end of the Second World War, transport systems were nationalised. Smaller canals were being used less and less for the transport of goods, and to reduce costs, their closure was suggested. This was opposed by a small group of enthusiasts who campaigned for their retention, particularly for leisure use. They also realised that these smaller canals were relatively unchanged since their construction and that they were an important industrial monument.

 

 

For twenty five years this group of enthusiasts challenged the government over the national policy towards canals. They published information and held boat rallies which promoted wider interest in canals and changed public opinion. During this period, the waterway authorities were slow to accept that their role had changed from one looking after a transport system to that of a leisure and heritage based industry. However, they are now committed to the conservation of the canal system and there is increasing co-operation between them and local government, business and voluntary groups. This paper looks at recent developments related to conservation and recording on one of Britain's smaller canals.

 

 

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal, around 225 km in length, is Britain's longest canal. It took over 45 years to built, construction taking place between 1770 and 1816. Over this period, there were several engineers, and the design of the canal and its route reflects the developments in canal technology over the period of construction. The earliest sections are contour canals with relatively simple earth works. Later sections show the increasing confidence of canal engineers as the route includes many large embankments and a long cutting. The construction of structures also improved during the construction period. The earliest locks had wooden foundations (Fig.1) and floors whilst stone inverts were used later.

 

 

Canals were the most important method of transport until the wide-spread introduction of railways around 1840. This new mode of transport drastically reduced the profits made by canals. Some, such as the Leeds & Liverpool, did compete effectively with rail transport, but they had little money for improvement, though some new warehousing was constructed. Originally, horses were used to move barges, but subsequently steam power and then diesel engines were introduced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, horse towage continued to be used until the late 1950s. The result is that today the canal still retains much eighteenth and nineteenth century technology, and there are many details surviving from horse towage. (Fig.2)

 

 

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal today.

 

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal is divided into two sections for maintenance purposes. The eastern section is 64km in length and has 39 locks, 3 large aqueducts and around 100 bridges. There are 27 maintenance workers and 9 office-based staff including the Waterway Manager. Separate engineering, development and marketing staff are responsible for both sections of the canal. Work involves not just maintenance of the canal, but also discussion with users and local authorities about improvements to the canal's facilities and environment. In Britain, canals are now seen as a major benefit for the regeneration of industrial areas.

 

 

The conservation of the built heritage is seen as a priority, and British Waterways undertake their own training, particularly for those involved in maintaining canals. For instance, all the stone masons working on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal have been trained in the use of lime mortars enabling them to restore older structures sympathetically. Regional variations in building materials have been identified and a booklet detailing suppliers of suitable local materials produced. (Fig.3) Typical of the work undertaken is the conservation of Holme Aqueduct, near Skipton. The outer walls of the aqueduct were spreading and the arches were distorted. Conservation was vital to prevent a collapse of the aqueduct. (Fig.4) Cut-waters, made from stone of the same type as the original aqueduct were added, both to strengthen the walls and to divert the flow of the river through the arches. (Fig.5) The work on this aqueduct won a national engineering heritage conservation award from the Institution of Civil Engineering.

 

 

Nationalisation brought standardisation of such things as lock operating equipment. British Waterways are now aware that, over the years, these standard features are destroying each canal's individual identity. To address this problem, they have set up a pilot 'Canal Character' scheme on two canals - the Grand Union and the Leeds & Liverpool in which they are trying to identify what gives each canal its own special character. Working together with enthusiasts and canal historians, British Waterways has produced a booklet describing each canal's historical features, particularly those unique to that canal. (Fig.6) It will act as a guide for the canal manager so that he can conserve his waterway using the most traditional methods and design replacement equipment such that it conforms with that originally fitted on that canal. He can also use the booklet to suggest features which can be incorporated into new canalside developments, thus ensuring that they fit sympathetically into the canal environment.

 

 

The Voluntary Sector.

 

 

For many years in Britain, unpaid enthusiasts have been promoting the use of canals and have preserved historic boats and organised local rallies (Fig. 7) which have brought the benefits of canals to the attention of local people. There are many canal societies in Britain, and they have usually been concerned with the leisure use of their canal or with its restoration if it was derelict.

 

 

The Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society is unlike most canal societies in that it has been set up to record the history and heritage of the canal and to use this to promote greater interest and understanding of the canal. It aims, in particular, to increase awareness of the canal and its history amongst local people. (Fig. 8)

 

 

Nationally there is an increasing awareness that we are not recording the techniques used for operating historic structures such as canals. During the filming of the traditional methods of using horses for towing boats, it was realised that Britain's canals are loosing many of the small features which go to make up the canal environment and which can explain much about the skills used by boatmen and others working on canals. As a result, a group of waterway historians and museums have been trying to set up a scheme for the voluntary recording of canal heritage by enthusiasts. (Fig. 9) This will enable a more complete record of each canal to be compiled than that undertaken about ten years ago by the canal authority. The extent of their survey was restricted by the cost of undertaking the work professionally. The Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society is already undertaking a survey of bridges. They will start recording locks in the near future as the pilot 'Canal Character' project undertaken by the waterway authority has identified locks as the most vulnerable sites for the disappearance of historic detail.

 

 

The three groups most interested in Britain's historic canal structures - the waterway authority, professional historians and canal enthusiasts - are increasingly working together to record in detail the canal environment. The benefits are firstly, historical detail can be better identified and conserved; secondly, by each canal having its own identity, it is easier to encourage greater use by pleasure boats; and thirdly, the local community can feel more attached to their local waterway because it is seen to have strong local connections and identity. Finally, it enables the waterway authority to be more specific in their control of planning for new developments alongside canals by providing guidelines for how such developments can fit sympathetically into the canal environment.