Abandoned & Vanished Canals of Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Andy Wood explores the history of the lost canals of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

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A resurgence in canal restoration has seen many British canals reopen in the past three decades, but many are still abandoned, some even vanished under roads, railways and buildings.

Many thousands of route miles of canal and navigation once used to criss-cross the British Isles, serving collieries, iron mines, steelworks, towns and villages. From the start of the twentieth century onwards, many of these canals closed down as a result of lack of trade. Many of the lost canals are in the industrial belts of Scotland and Wales, with a smattering of Irish routes, from the Rockville Navigation via the Monkland Canal, now under the M74 motorway, and the Aberdare Canal.

Andy Wood gives us a brief history of each of the lost canals, from the Athlone Canal to the Trewydda Canal.