The tales of the men who built the canals - the navigators, or navvies - focusing on their work on the Manchester Ship Canal.

The Workers

Liz McIvor

Paul Craven

The Boat People

Capitalism

The struggles of the builders and engineers tasked with creating a landscape of canals over the rugged terrain surrounding the Pennine hills.

Engineering

How the process of building Britain's canals resulted in furthering geological knowledge, as surveyor William Smith created the first geological map of England and Wales.

Geology

The story of 'canal mania', the period of activity that helped develop Britain's modern financial economy, now centred in London.

The people who operated the canal boats, carrying fuel and goods around the country.

How the nation's canals were saved following years of postwar neglect, becoming places of tranquillity and popular for boating holidays.

Heritage

Liz McIvor looks at who built the nation's canal network, who funded it, those who worked on it and how they were regenerated following WWII.

The Workers

Seasons1

Season 1 Episodes6

Cast1

Crew1

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Episode Summary