Somerset Canals

In the eighteenth century, Somerset was almost entirely rural, and its towns were linked by a network of very rudimentary roads. As new industries emerged, a better system of transport was required to bring to the factories the raw materials they needed, such as coal and metal ores, but also to ferry the goods they manufactured to the wider world. Out of this situation the golden age of canals was born. Their ability to facilitate the bulk movement of raw materials was one of the key factors in the success of the Industrial Revolution. Somerset, like many English counties, would benefit from several schemes and goods from places such as Bath, Taunton, Chard, Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Glastonbury could be moved to coastal ports such as Bridgwater, Highbridge and Bristol by a series of artificial waterways. Henry Buckton examines the histories of the county’s canals, including the Kennet and Avon Canal, Somerset Coal Canal, Grand Western Canal, Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Chard Canal, Glastonbury Canal, Dorset and Somerset Canal and the Westport Canal. These and others are still evident in the landscape today and provide a fascinating glimpse into Somerset’s industrial heritage.