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Water:
During the heyday of waterborne transport all
manner of goods and passengers were ferried up and down the rivers and
canals of Britain.
Materials for the building and pottery industries, timber, textiles, hardware,
foodstuffs and livestock have all been transported on water over the centuries.
Early inland waterborne transport succeeded because it was cheaper, and
in some instances faster, than haulage by road. Coal was one of the most
important cargoes to be transported by river and canal. The picture seen
here shows a lorry tipping its load of coal into a wide-boat at the Bickershaw
Colliery on the Bridgewater canal. Cargo carrying vessels travelling along
inland waterways declined because of railway expansion in the 19th century
and the growing dominance of road transport thereafter. In recent years,
much work has gone into the renovation of the canal network for leisure,
and even to a small extent for trading purposes.
Choose
an option:
Water
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