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Chances are you'll hear utterings of some strange words if you spend long enough on the towpath, but what do they mean? Our 200 year old network has its own language developed over the years. Our glossary of waterway terms is here to help.
- Planning Jargon Buster
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- Moorings FAQ Page
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- Planning Jargon Buster
- What Are Canals?
- Purpose of Canals
- How Are Canals built?
- Canal Boats
- Canals Today
- Facts About Canals
Canalsare man-made waterways designed to serve a specific purpose in controlling the flow of the water. They usually rely on integrated features like locks and dams to control the water level. They are also useful for letting out excess water after heavy rainfall.
Canals were originally built to help transport goods and items around the country. A large number of British canals were constructed during the Victorian era and the Industrial Revolution. They provided easier passage for boats carrying coal, stone and wool.
People who built canals were often referred to as navigators, or 'navvies'. Building canals was a large and difficult task, as it required the navvies to move enormous amounts of earth using quite basic equipment like spades, picks and wheelbarrows. Dynamite was used to weaken solid rock, and the debris was then moved. They also relied upon scaffol...
Canal boats are also known as barges or narrowboats. To navigate British canals, a narrowboat must be less than 2.13 metres wide, with a maximum length of 22m. This is so that a boat is never longer than the shortest Lock in the British canal system. Before the invention of the engine, canal boats were pulled along by horses on the side of the cana...
These days, canals are more used for leisure than for transporting goods and services. They can also be used for fishing and to store houseboats.
Canals were originally designed by engineers like Thomas Telford and James Watt.There are now about 2,200 miles (3,500 km) of navigablecanalsand rivers throughout theUnited Kingdom.Notable examples include the Manchester Ship Canal and the Oxford Canal.Canals began to decline in use after the development of the rail network, which was a more efficient means of transporting goods.The place where a canal narrows under a bridge is known as a bridge hole and a flight is a series of locks rising uphill with pounds in between them. Inside each lock you will find a cill, which is a doorstep on which the lock gates sit.
This lesson gives children the opportunity to investigate some of the differences between canals and rivers. They will learn what the words 'natural' and 'man made' mean, how rivers are created as surface water runs to the sea, and why canals were built.
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Canals are waterways that are built by people and used for shipping, travel, and irrigation. Canals have been an important way to move goods and carry people for more than 5,000 years. Some canals make it possible for boats to travel inland from oceans and lakes. A canal may also serve as a shortcut between two bodies of water.
Dec 8, 2022 · The term canal refers to a man-made, artificial waterway connecting two bodies of water. These canals serve various purposes, such as irrigation, transportation, and recreation.
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Mar 13, 2024 · The 18th century saw a surge in canal building and the dawn of a new 'Canal Age'. Canal historian Mike Clarke explains why some canals were very successful and others were doomed to fail.
