Following the Climate Change Committee’s warning to the UK Government to prepare for 2oC warming by 2050, the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has produced a first-of-its-kind map revealing the likely impact of 2oC degrees warming on Britain’s 5,000-mile network of canals and navigable rivers, as well as other risks. IWA has examined the risks facing…
Category: canals
2025 Spring Drought & Heat Waves Impacting Opening of Industrial Heritage Sites
The spring and early summer heatwaves in the UK, combined with an exceptionally dry spring (leading in some areas of England to drought conditions), have had a noticeable impact on industrial heritage sites, with temporary closures and changes to ways of working. In England, the Canal and River Trust have closed parts of the Leeds…
Christmas 2024 & New Year 2025 Storms Higlight Vulnerability of Transport Industrial Heritage
The December 2024 storms, particularly Storm Darragh, and the New Year snow storms and flooding in England and Wales, once more highlights the vulnerability of Industrial Heritage sites to the increasing number of severe weather events brought about by Climate Change. Storm Darragh (7-8 December 2024) affected large areas of Britain and Ireland with high…
Marketing the Manchester Ship Canal: New Exhibition
The latest temporary exhibition at the Central Library in Manchester looks at the way in which the Manchester Ship Canal was promoted in the early 20th century. ‘Marketing the Manchester Ship Canal 1919-1939’ is curated by Martin Dodge, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at the University of Manchester. The exhibition will include some of the…
Concerns Raised About the Future of the Barton Swing Aqueduct
Concerns about the condition of the listed Barton Swing Aqueduct have led a local group to set up a petition to have the bridge restored. The swing aqueduct was built as part of the construction of Manchester Ship Canal and opened to traffic on January 1st 1894. The 235ft long steel aqueduct, which weighs 800…
Job Opportunity: Chesterfield Canal Trust Senior Funding Officer
The Chesterfield Canal Trust is look for an experienced funding officer to work within the Trust as they accelerate the restoration of the remaining nine miles of the Chesterfield Canal. This historic canal will link Chesterfield once more to the national waterways network at the River Trent. Building on their current £5.3m Towns Fund restoration…
Industrial Sites Amongst Newly Protected Heritage in 2021
Historic England has recently pulled together a number of highlights from around 400 sites that have been protected through listing and scheduling across England during 2021 – https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/listed-in-2021/. These include 362 listings, 41 new scheduled monuments, and 13 new parks and gardens listings. A number of these are industrial heritage sites such as Lelley Windmill…
Canal & River Trust Completes Repairs Enabled by Heritage Stimulus Fund
The Canal & River Trust has completed the repairs enabled by the award of c.£1.6m through the Heritage Stimulus Fund, which forms part the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Administered by Historic England, the works covered 14 projects across the canal network and involved the replacement of lock gates, and lock and bridge repairs, including the…
Industrial Heritage Support 