Portal:UK Waterways

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An aqueduct in Wales The United Kingdom is home to a vast network of waterways. These are navigable bodies of water in various forms such as canals, rivers and lakes. Natural rivers and lakes were the first waterways to be used for the transportation of people and goods. These were then improved to make navigation more reliable, by the construction of artificial channels and flash locks. The introduction of the pound lock enabled more ambitious waterways to be built. The Industrial Revolution required the transport of large quantities of raw materials and finished goods, and this led to a period of 'canal mania' which saw the construction of a large network of canals in the United Kingdom. Competition, first from railways and later from road transport, started the decline of many canal and river navigations, leading in some cases to their abandonment. The latter half of the twentieth century saw the development of recreational boating and the restoration of many disused waterways. Template:/box-footer The Kennet and Avon Canal is a canal in southern England linking the River Avon at Bath to the River Kennet at Newbury. The name refers to the Kennet and Avon Canal Company and the canal follows its original route. In effect, it links up the River Thames at Reading to the Floating Harbour in Bristol, via the rivers. The whole navigation is 87 miles (140km) in length. Main article: Kennet and Avon Canal More articles... The Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift, opened in 2002, and is the first boat lift to be built in the UK since the Anderton Boat Lift in 1875. More images... Aqueducts Canal Junctions Canal Locks Navigation Authorities Waterway Societies Water United Kingdom Transport Nautical UK Railways UK Waterways UK geography Rivers …that the Droitwich Barge and Junction canals will be connected together by canalising a 600 yd (550m) stretch of the River Salwarpe through the centre of Droitwich, but water will be carried from one to the other by a pipeline built under the towpath? …that the new aqueduct built to carry the Lichfield Canal over the M6 Toll motorway remains isolated at both ends? …that the Grand Surrey Canal was the first to have its own police force, when "Bank rangers" who were forerunners of the British Transport Police were appointed in 1811 to keep law and order along the canal? …that anybody can add new entries to DYK? Template:/box-footer Canals of the United Kingdom History of the British canal system Narrowboat Join WikiProject UK Waterways Help select future pictures and articles. Add items to Did You Know? Add the portal link to the top of the See Also section of all relevant pages. This can be done by adding immediately under the section header. What are portals? List of portals Featured portals