Canal Life - Past

Historical film footage of life on Working British Canal Boats during the mid-20th century

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Canals
• Canal
• Boating
• Narrow
• Boats
• History

[JudithProctor]

Fascinating bit of canal history. I wonder if the narrator is correct in saying that they didn't have to work on Sundays. I suspect that the competition from the railways by then probably meant the boatmen had little choice if they were to earn a living wage.

[tonycolzi]

@JudithProctor You are probably right Judith

[AbuAvital]

Never realised that the canals carried commercial traffic so late into the century.

[hanghoodiescum]

hay every were was black and white in them days lol

[dale3858]

Excellent!!!

[0ldfartmart]

@Pulsar205 I bet there was, I still remember prams, plastic bags with goodness knows what inside, never mind what the factories were able to discharge in those days. - Good Times ??

[Pulsar205]

A nice life in the summer. Wouldn't like to think how hard it was in the winter though. I used to loathe working outside.

[Pulsar205]

@0ldfartmart I bet everything was thrown in the canal :/

[workingboatwoman]

Oh for the old days. What a wonderful film. They used to leave gates open and paddles up in those days. Because more often than not, another boat would most definitely be coming in the other direction at some point. How the waterways have changed.

[lauriebooth]

Same with me.

:)