Canal & Waterway Internet Resources- General

• Facebook Groups / Web Forums / Email Mailing Lists
  • Canal World Discussion Forums - 15,000 members
  • Canals and Rivers UK Facebook group - more than 6600 members
  • Just Canals - a forum site; over 2900 members
  • Boaters' Manifesto facebook group - more than 500 members. For background information on this group, see Boaters' Manifesto
  • The canals mailing list. Begun 1995. Over 650 subscribers. Now only about 1 message per day, on average.
  • Inland Waterways Association of Ireland Discussion Forum - over 1500 members
  • Boats and Canals Forum
  • Norfolk Broads Forum - about 12,500 members as of 1-Feb-2019
  • thenorfolkbroads.net forum
  • Lost and historic waterways mailing list/forum - specific to lost canals and waterways in Great Britain and Ireland; infrequent messages
  • Historic Inland Working Boats mailing list/forum - specific to the British Isles; very infrequent messages

    There is some canal and waterway related content on Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit, but since I don't do those, you're on your own there. By the same token, Facebook probably has more content than what I've listed above.

    Note: many canal societies have their own mailing lists.

• Usenet Newsgroups
  • uk.rec.waterways not very active - spun off the the canals mailing list (see above) in November 1995. Carried the same messages as the mailing list until June 11, 1999. Independent of list since then.
    • uk.rec.waterways is also available on the web
  • fr.rec.bateaux, converses in French, and may sometimes include canals and waterways information.
    • fr.rec.bateaux is also available on the web
  • uk.rec.waterways.fens, Essentially defunct - no on-topic postings in years. - created in January 1999, for discussions related to the Fen waterways of the UK.
    • uk.rec.waterways.fens is also available on the web

• Web sites: (I list below only those sites that I have not linked to elsewhere.)

  General Canal Information Sites

  In addition to the site you are now visiting, the following general information sites are available:
  • Primarily UK:
    • canalcuttings.co.uk - online canal magazine - 2-Feb-19 link removed - Google labels site as "possibly hacked"
    • Canal Junction - "canal guide and canal business directory".
    • Canal & River Trust - general info pages
    • Canal Vacations - UK - "especially for overseas visitors" (but oddly uses the term "barge" ...)
    • narrowboats.org
    • narrowboatworld - news and comment
    • Jim Shead's Waterways Information - for five years, Jim wrote the "clicking.on.canals" column in Waterways World magazine
    • Tim's Waterways Web Page Index
    • UK Canals Network - Website defunct
    • Waterways Directory.com
  • European continent:
    • Tom Sommers' EuroCanals - "cruising the canals & rivers of Europe"
    • The French Waterways, Rivers and Canals
    • Water-Ways - "all european waterways" (site in German, English, and French)
    • Willkommen bei Kanalboot.de
    • Canals in the Netherlands
    • Boating on the canals in Amsterdam
    • Safe Boating! On Dutch inland waterways - (en) (nl) (de) (fr)
    • Inland Waterways of the Netherlands - also offers related book - note 2016 - second edition
    • Recreational boating in Belgium - from Belgian Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport

  Shops

  • The Boat Shop - windlasses, plaques, brasses, prints, guides (Braunston, on GU)
  • Canal Cargo - Canal Maps and Cruising Guides, Books, Videos, Gifts, Chandlery
  • Canal Shop Company - canal-related items; videos
  • Laurence Hogg Productions - I am sorry to report that Laurence passed on in June 2018 - brass plaques; antique gifts/books.  
  • For boat accessories, see the Boat Ownership, Construction, Maintenance, and Services page.
  • See also listings on the Near the Water... page.

  Roving Shops

  • Boats Selling Coal and Diesel on the Canal System
  • Roving Canal Traders Association - large list of roving shops, much larger than mine!
  • John Jackson Coal - delivers coal on Narrowboat "Roach"
  • NB Victoria - Royalty Fuels - sells diesel, gas, coal and smokeless fuels along the UK canals
  • Chamberlain Carrying Co. - roving canal art gift shop; also diesel, coal, calor gas, and other boating necessities; narrowboats Mountbatten and Jellicoe
  • The Cheese Boat - 2 boats travelling the waterways selling cheeses, chutneys, and pickles
  • The Herb Boat - herbs and spices
  • The Record Deck - floating record shop
  • The Wool Boat - yarn and knitting accessories
  • Word On The Water - "The London Book Barge"
  • The Book Barge - also, The Book Barge on Facebook

  Music

  • Songs of the Inland Waterways - non-commercial site "aiming to gather together and provide links to songs, old and new"

  Education/Toys

  • Aquaplay - canal playsets [web site also available in German, French, and Swedish]
  • The Brecon & Abergavenny Canal - from the Powys Digital History Project
  • Eckington School Narrowboat Project - boat club narrowboat fit-out project 2011-2012 (Eckington, Derbyshire)
  • Our Grand Canal Project - prepared by students of St. Ronan's National School
  • Marple Locks Heritage Society Education Pack - scroll to the bottom of the page for info on the education pack
  • Canal & River Explorers - educational site for students and teachers; [was: Wild over Waterways]

  Model Boats

  • Garth Allan - kits in OO scale
  • Bespoke Model Boats - scale models of your own boat
  • Paper cut-out model narrowboat from Bildrums Klippark; scroll to bottom of that page for template and instructions
  • Canal Models - 1:12 scale fibre glass model narrowboats
  • Hull Model Boat Group
  • Langley Models - narrowboat and lock models in OO scale
  • Maritime Models - decals for canal boat models
  • Modellers Mecca - models in OO gauge
  • Orion Mouldings
  • Riverside Models - model narrow boat kits in various scales
  • George Turner Models

  Carrying/Cargo/Haulage

  • Commercial Boat Operators Association - carrying companies list
  • Freight Afloat - advises firms on freight by water
  • Freight by Water - promotes freight transportation by water
  • Humber Barges
  • Nick Wolf Canal Carrying - carrying, steerage, towage

  Specialized Topics

  • I. A. Recordings - make video records of working industry as well as the remains of past industries, including inland waterways.

  Angling (Fishing)

  • See What are the requirements for fishing on canals?, which is Question 15 of the Waterways FAQ

  Historic

  See also Museums
  Also many local Canal- and Waterway-Related Organizations have historical information on their particular canal.
  Historical information for canals in North America can be found on the North American Canals page.
  See also Canal- and Waterway-Related Organisations - Specific Types of Boats, which includes organisations interested in the restoration or study of historic boats.
  • Mike Clarke's articles on the history of canals
  • Someone has resurrected Peter Hardcastle's previously retired Canals: Roots & Routes here at Canals and Waterways [Thanks to Paul Thirly for suggesting this link.]
  • Steve Wood's info on historic Fellows, Morton, and Clayton Fish Class boats
  • Historic Inland Working Boats
  • Richard Thomas on The History of the Narrow Boat Steamer
  • Virtual Waterways Archive Catalogue - Website defunct - on-line searchable archive
  • Canal Maps Archive - "Historic Maps and Plans of Inland Navigation"; emphasizing the British Isles
  • Mike Stevens' Waterways of England and Wales : Their History in Maps - many thanks due to the London Canal Museum for keeping these available
  • The International Canal Monuments List - NOTE: this links to a pdf file
  • Jim Shead provides online access to the full text of the classic 1831 book Historical Account of the Rivers, Canals, and Railways of Great Britain, by Joseph Priestley
  • The General History of Inland Navigation - by John Phillips, Sr.; published 1803; full text from google books
    
  • Ice Boats of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal
  • Historic Staffordshire canal photos and documents
  • National Historic Ships - (for narrowboats: under "Quick-Links", choose "Search the registers"; then enter narrow in the Type/sub-function box and click "Search")
  • Brian Goggin's Irish waterways history
  • A brief history of canals - infographic
  • 'Idle Women' of the canals - "the extraordinary women who volunteered to work the canal boats during" WWII
  • A Waterways Heritage - Canal Connections and Family History - historical canal photos facebook pages
  • Birmingham & Black Country Nostalgia - was 1960s photographs and verse by Peter Donnelly, but as of my check on 29 Aug 2016, gallery page says "coming soon"
  • Changes on the Cut - article reflecting on the changes that have taken place since Peter Donnelly's photos

  Genealogy

  Some entries under "Historic" and "Museums" may also be helpful.
  • The Bargemen - family histories of boat and barge workers along the river Thames
  • Boat Families - of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and connected waterways
  • Boat Families - Ormskirk & District FHS
  • The Boatpeople of the Wolverhampton Canal System - Baptism and Marriages
  • Cyndi's List of Canals, Rivers & Waterways Genealogy Sites
  • CANAL-PEOPLE Mailing List [22 Jun 2018 Archive of previous messages currently unavailable. Fixes will take "a few weeks".]
  • Tracing Your Canal Ancestors - (book)
  • US Migration Canals - from familysearch.org

  Museums

  • Bollington Discovery Centre - Bollington, Macclesfield
  • Official Black Country Living Museum
  • Claverton Pumping Station - on the K&A
  • Crofton Beam Engines - historic pumping station for K&A Canal in Marlborough; steaming days in season
  • Etruria Industrial Museum - off Trent & Mersey Canal
  • Foxton Canal Museum - (Foxton, Leics.)
  • Galton Valley Canal Museum - Smethwick, W. Mids., on both the Birmingham New and Old Main Lines
  • Houseboat Museum Amsterdam (English, Nederlands, Deutsch, Français)
  • Inland Waterways Heritage Network - information on the various waterway-related museums in the UK.
  • London Canal Museum
  • Middleton Top Engine and Leawood Pump Group - historic pumping station for Cromford Canal
  • Museum of the Broads
  • National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port
  • National Waterways Museum at Gloucester
  • The Canal Museum, Stoke Bruerne
  • River & Rowing Museum - Henley-on-Thames
  • Shardlow Heritage Centre
  • Thwaite Mills Watermill Museum - restored watermill on the Aire & Calder Navigation in Stourton, Leeds
  • (Yorkshire) Waterways Museum - (Goole)

  Specific Types of Boats

  Here's links to various types of narrowboats, and also to other types of boats you'll find on the canals and waterways. For actual organisations related to specific types of boats, see Societies - UK - Specific Types of Boats and Specific Historic Boats.
  • David Chapman's Amphicar page
  • Jurjen Heeck's Amsterdam Houseboats (English; Nederlands).
  • Black Prince Owners Site - Website defunct - history, boat list, production styles
  • Black Country Narrowboats Tugs
  • Braidbar Owners YahooGroup
  • Dawncraft Info, from Wallace Venable
  • Steve Wood's info on historic Fellows, Morton, and Clayton Fish Class boats
  • Historic Inland Working Boats
  • Mick Fowler's site for Nauticus (GRP) boat owners - Note: requires Java for site navigation
  • Norman Boats Appreciation Society
  • Northwich Traders
  • The Slipper Launch Collection - "dedicated to the Slipper Stern launches that grace the ... Thames"
  • See also Canal- and Waterway-Related Organisations - Specific Types of Boats

  Situations Vacant

  • Marine Jobs available with members of the British Marine Federation
  • Canal & River Trust Job Opportunities

  Boat Handling Courses

  • Alvechurch Boat Centres
  • Bisham Abbey Sailing & Navigation School - has inland waterways helmsman and crew courses (nr. Marlow, Bucks., or on your own boat)
  • Canal Experience - Herts., on GU
  • Inland Waterways Cruising School - Website defunct - (Kidderminster, Worcs.)
  • Mainline Solutions
  • National Community Boats Association - training for operators of community boats.
  • Tillerfolk School of Boating - helmsman and crew courses
  • Trent Boat Handling
  • Watercraft - "Inland Waterways Helmsman & Shorebased Safety Training"
  • Wildcat Enterprises
  • Willow Wren Training (Rugby)

  Boat Maintenance Courses

  • TB Training - Courses available in Boat and Engine Maintenance and Electrics for Boaters.
    - Note: lots of useful info in the on-line course notes.

  Boat Safety Equipment

  • ADEC Marine Ltd - boat safety equipment
  • crew-safe - lifejackets and marine safety equipment
  • Crewsaver - lifejackets
  • Life Jackets UK - Life Jackets, Life Vests and Buoyancy Aids for Sale by Mail Order - UK and overseas
  • Marine Warehouse - "shop for lifejackets online"
  • Safewater Alarms - sounds alarm if child or pet is in the water

  Towpath Walks

  • Walking the British Waterways - photos taken along the waterways (location captions in English and French)
  • Walk this Wey - walks on the River Wey towpath
  • Long Distance Walkers Association - many walks; type canal into search box in upper right-hand corner of page, and click the search button there
  • BritishWalks.org - many walks; site does not have its own search so use this search for canal walks
  • Ramblers - many walks; type canal into search box in upper right-hand corner of page, and click the search button there

  Towpath Cycling

  You may find the following sites helpful:
  • SUSTRANS
  • Cycling - Canal & River Trust's general info pages; NO permit is required to cycle towpaths, but look at Towpath Code first

  Waterway Photographers

  • Robert Longden Photography Archive - website defunct, unfortunately; was canal related photos from the 1940s
  • Waterway Photography by Kevin Maslin
  • Phil Pickin
  • Derek Pratt - Waterways Photo Library
  • Jim Shead - Freelance Services
  • Robin Smithett - Waterways Photography
  • Waterways Images Photo Library
  • PanoramaShots - Photography by John Widdall

  Waterway Photographs

  Of course, most sites linked to from canals.com include photographs related to their topic area. The sites below are those devoted specifically to waterway photographs and not by professional photographers.
  • Canal Photos Waterways Pictures - photo sharing site - upload your own pictures (free)
  • Kite Aerial Photography - panoramas taken from a kite; has Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Bosley Locks; requires Flash to view
  • See also Photo Blogs

  Waterway Art and Craft

  • Artist on the Waterways - paintings and prints
  • Arty Bargy - facebook page; art studio and art shop on a docked narrowboat, at Fradley Marina
  • Canal Arts by Terence - traditional canal ware
  • Canalia - hand-painted canalware
  • Julie Dodsworth - heritage home and gift ware; Blisworth, Northampton
  • Eric Gaskell's Canal Linocuts
  • Corinne Locker - Canal Art & Decorative Painting
  • Garth Allan - watercolours
  • Gower Giftware - traditional canalware
  • Guild of Waterway Artists
  • Jam Butty Crafts - signwriting, painting, canalware
  • Lockside Antiques - antique ribbon and lace plates and original Measham pottery as well as brass items and old lace (crochet) edging - "popular ... to kit out the traditional back cabins"
  • NarrowBoat Art - canal giftware, by Andre Cornhill
  • Year of the Boat - "work of artist Rob Pointon produced whilst living on board a narrowboat and travelling the UK"
  • Roses & Castles Painting Workshops
  • Diana Bernice Tackley - paintings - work includes canal scenes and boats; will take commissions
  • Thames Bridges - Doug Myers Painting and Prints
  • Thames Cards - photographic postcards and greeting cards, of River Thames scenes
  • Trina's Canalware - traditional canalware
  • Waterway Cards - except for this preview page, requires free site registration to view
  • Waterways Craft Guild - Website defunct - traditional canal crafts; also offers courses in various crafts
  For traditional signwriting and boat lettering, see the "Boat Ownership ..." page.

  Canalside and Waterside New Home Developments

  NOT a complete list - just ones I happened to find. Please email me (address at bottom of page) if you find others.

  London area

  • Waterview - waterside property specialists (Thames Ditton)

  South and southwest

  • [aware of none at the moment]

  Midlands

  • The Waterside at Royal Worcester - townhouses and refurbished apartments
  • Diglis Water - apartments (Worcester)
  • Royal Mills - apartments (Manchester, on Rochdale Canal)

  East Anglia

  • Millside Marina - mobile home park (St Neots, Cambs., on R. Ouse)

  North

  • [aware of none at the moment]

  Various UK locations

  • ISIS Waterside Regeneration - includes Islington Wharf with apartments and homes (Manchester), and other developments at various locations in England and Scotland

Thanks to Steve Parish, Martin Clark, Baz Juniper, "Liz", and Neil Arlidge for contributions to the "home developments" section.

Bill Davies and Jerry Coleman, with the help of members of this mailing list, have also generated UK Waterways Information for First-Timers.