Main Photographic Collection at The Waterways Archive

Introduction to the Collection

The main photographic collection consists of over 6,000 prints, 35mm negatives and glass plate negatives that provide a comprehensive visual history covering all aspects of Britain's inland waterways. The collection shows the construction, use, maintenance, dereliction and resurgence of some 2,000 miles of inland waterways and document the people that lived and worked on them, the vessels which travelled on them, the technology used in their creation and maintenance, the industries which depended on them, and in more recent years the tourists and holidaymakers who use them for leisure purposes. Many of the images show a way of life that has completely disappeared and structures, boats, and canals that no longer exist. The images in the collection range from images of drawings and paintings, to black and white and colour photographs and date from the mid 18th century until the late 20th century. The images are a unique and valuable source of information to people interested in or researching a wide range of topics including social history, family history, industry and technology, economic history and the history of vessels.

What is Covered in the Collection

People and Life on the Waterways
The lives of people who lived and worked on the waterways are visible through the collection. The images show the everyday lives of a variety of people including boat people, lock keepers, yard and dock workers, and those who worked on the construction and maintenance of the waterways and the structures around them. Many of the images focus on the boat people who lived on narrowboats and spent their days transporting goods along the waterways. The images show numerous boat families carrying out their daily routines and include images of important social events, such as christenings and funerals, and larger events including the boat strike of 1923. Important figures on the waterways are shown including Sister Mary Ward who was a nurse to boat people at Stoke Bruerne and became a significant part of many families' lives on the waterways. A large number of narrowboats are shown including those belonging to companies such as Fellows, Morton & Clayton Limited, Samuel Barlow Coal Carrying Company, the various canal companies and later British Waterways. These images will be of interest to those researching family history, social history and the history of narrowboats and the different canal and carrying companies.

Technology and Industry
Many scientific and technological advances can be traced through the collection and numerous engineering feats are shown including aqueducts, lifts, locks, bridges, and other canal furniture. The construction, use and maintenance of many waterway landmarks are shown and highlights include images of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct; the Anderton Lift; the Foxton Inclined Plane; and lock flights such as those at Hatton, Knowle and Bingley Five Rise. Industries and industrial buildings which grew beside and used the waterways are pictured along with the transport and technology they used, these include Apsley Mills which were owned by John Dickinson & Company Limited and factories owned by Cadbury. These photographs are of great use to people researching the history of technology and industry, particularly during the industrial revolution.

Wartime
The role of women who worked on the waterways during the Second World War is documented in the collection. These photographs show the women trainees who were drafted to work aboard canal boats as part of a Ministry of War Transport scheme to replace boatmen who had been drafted into the armed forces. The photographs show the women learning about boat life, and show the comradeship that developed between them. Included are photographs from the trainers of the women, Kit Gayford and Daphne French, and one of the trainees, Margaret Cornish.

Leisure
Photographs in the collection cover the emergence and rise of the canals as a source of leisure as the trade and industry that used them declined. There are images of family holidays, pleasure craft, trip boats, and social gatherings on the waterways including boat shows.

Photographs by Notable People
There are a number of photographs in the collection that were taken by notable people both on the waterways and beyond. Photographs include those taken by the famous photographer Cyril Arapoff in the 1930s which show working life on a variety of waterways. There are photographs taken by T W Millner who worked for the Grand Junction Canal Company in the late 19th and early 20th century, these show boat people and narrowboats during this period. There are also photographs taken by people such as C Harlow and C N Hadlow, who were engineers and inspectors for British Waterways during the mid 20th century, which show engineering and maintenance work on various waterways during this time.

Search the Catalogue

To view and search the photographic collection go to our online catalogue and search for the reference number BW192.

Further Information

For any further information about the collection or the online catalogue please contact bwarchive@thewaterwaystrust.org.uk