The Kennet and Avon Canal is made up of three historic waterways. The Kennet Navigation created a navigable link between Newbury and Reading in the early 18th Century. Shortly afterwards the Avon Navigation similarly linked the cities of Bath and Bristol. A 57 mile long artificial canal was constructed between 1794 and 1810 to join these two waterways. This provided a link from Bristol to Reading and then on to London, via the River Thames.
At a time when road transport was costly, slow and unreliable, the UK's canals played a crucial role in unleashing the power of the industrial revolution. Huge social change followed, as the country transformed from a primarily agrarian economy, to become, for a while at least, the world's leading industrial power.
With over 320 full colour photographs, "The Kennet and Avon Canal in pictures" starts by setting out the canal's context, including a brief history, before embarking on an end-to-end tour. This is followed by a selection of picturesque winter images, before finally looking at a selection of the wide range of flora and fauna, that can be seen and enjoyed along this waterway.
With its rich and varied selection of images, the book makes an excellent souvenir for those who have experienced this quintessential English canal. It is a valuable planning aid for anyone preparing for a visit and an essential volume for all canal enthusiasts.
Other books in the UK Canals series include 2: Wildlife of the Kennet and Avon Canal, 3: Weird and wonderful canal photographs and 4: The Erewash Canal in context. Also by the same author, Pandemic diary: Newbury in a time of crisis, Pandemic diary 2: Newbury emerges from lockdown and Living in a digital world: Demystifying technology.
For more details about Mark C Baker books see http: //www.educationvision.co.uk/books.html
