British Canals: Is their resuscitation practicable?

The author assesses the feasibility of restoring Britain’s inland waterways by tracing their historical development, engineering character, and economic decline while testing the common view that railways captured and strangled canals. He analyzes railway-controlled and independent examples, provides a detailed regional case study of the Birmingham canal system, and evaluates shifts in trade and freight patterns. Comparative surveys of Continental and United States waterways illuminate differing technical and commercial outcomes. The work balances engineering practicability against economic realities, examines costs and benefits of enlargement or reconstruction, and closes with policy recommendations and an appendix on declining Mississippi freight traffic.