Tom Baldwin
07-20-2006, 04:48 PM
So no flames please. Consider the innocent 1%-ers…
The Kennet & Avon Canal in southern England was one of the most successful business ventures of the first part of the 19th century. Until its inevitable decline began in the 1840s – railways - it was pre-eminent as a highway for merchandise between London and Bristol, via the rivers Thames, Kennet and Avon.
It succumbed to dereliction after WWII, but that was not the end of the K&A. After many years of dedicated work by volunteers, it was completely restored for leisure use, reopening throughout in 1990. You will see many boats – floating hotels; well, boarding houses – as evidence that the British population like their on-the-water vacations. The long ‘n’ thin ones are narrow boats, up to 70’ by 7’. They are derived from the old working boats that could carry 30 tons from London to Bristol.
But the K&A was/is a ‘wide’ canal. Boats 70’x15’ could carry 60+ tons between these two major cities.
The UK is the poor relation of GE hi-res countries so by no means all of the K&A is there to be seen. The best bits are in the east, from Reading. From west of Devizes to Bristol is low-low resolution. If we ever get better resolution (and I’m still alive) I’ll do an update.
Go to http://www.bookfinder.com and enter the ISBN number 0715386565 in the author field. There you’ll find a great book on the history of the K&A.
PS – since I went to GE beta 4 (4.0.1657) I can’t edit placemarks. The ‘edit’ option is not there. Did I miss something??
The Kennet & Avon Canal in southern England was one of the most successful business ventures of the first part of the 19th century. Until its inevitable decline began in the 1840s – railways - it was pre-eminent as a highway for merchandise between London and Bristol, via the rivers Thames, Kennet and Avon.
It succumbed to dereliction after WWII, but that was not the end of the K&A. After many years of dedicated work by volunteers, it was completely restored for leisure use, reopening throughout in 1990. You will see many boats – floating hotels; well, boarding houses – as evidence that the British population like their on-the-water vacations. The long ‘n’ thin ones are narrow boats, up to 70’ by 7’. They are derived from the old working boats that could carry 30 tons from London to Bristol.
But the K&A was/is a ‘wide’ canal. Boats 70’x15’ could carry 60+ tons between these two major cities.
The UK is the poor relation of GE hi-res countries so by no means all of the K&A is there to be seen. The best bits are in the east, from Reading. From west of Devizes to Bristol is low-low resolution. If we ever get better resolution (and I’m still alive) I’ll do an update.
Go to http://www.bookfinder.com and enter the ISBN number 0715386565 in the author field. There you’ll find a great book on the history of the K&A.
PS – since I went to GE beta 4 (4.0.1657) I can’t edit placemarks. The ‘edit’ option is not there. Did I miss something??