Then and Now Acrylic

The development and growth of canals were literally key to the pace of the industrial revolution. The navigable water network grew as the demand for industrial transport increased. Canals provided a quick, and economic system for the nationwide transportation of goods including cotton and coal. In the 1830s railways were introduced and by the 1850’s they had taken over as the primary source of transport resulting in the decline and abandonment of canals. The canal system is today seeing a new lease of life for recreational and commercial use. Abandoned and derelict canals are being reopened and new routes constructed. Canal side residential and commercial developments are appearing in cities and derelict mills are being converted to apartment blocks. This painting contrasts the industrial role played by canals with their current day use.