Britain's Canals have dramatically changed over the last decade and their renaissance from run-down, abandoned, vandalised and underused waterways to a major national asset is largely down to British Waterways and forward thinking local authorities. Of the 2000 miles of waterway British Waterways own and manage, the Heart of England network has provided a rich seam of subject matter. This photographic essay covers several of the Canals that navigate through the Heart of England. Featured within the book are the boats and the people belonging to both urban and rural Canal environments. Gas Street Basin and the area around the International Convention Centre and National Indoor Arena, plus Brindleyplace form a dramatic backdrop to the traditional design and architecture of the Canal. The Birmingham and Fazeley Canal begins at the junction by the NIA and travels under Spaghetti Junction via Kingsbury to Fradley near Lichfield. The Birmingham and Worcester Canal also begins at Gas Street Basin and includes the famous Tardebigge flight.
The Stratford-upon-Avon Canal runs from Bancroft Gardens in the centre of the town via Kingsbury Junction at Lapworth where the Grand Union Canal begins and includes three famous aqueducts. Knowle locks and Hatton have also provided wonderful locations on the Grand Union. A Russell Newbury Rally is featured at the Black Country Museum on the Birmingham Canal Navigation and finally, the book covers the Coventry Canal section which starts from the city centre basin and runs to Hawkesbury Junction. Along the way the author meets and photographs boaters, British Waterways personnel, skilled craftsmen and women who are carrying on the great traditions of Canal crafts, and all of whom share a common interest in the regeneration of the Canals in the Heart of England.