Here you will find a comprehensive set of links for Britain's inland waterways, covering academic & research centres, scholarly and historical societies, general information sources, museums and specialist magazines.
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UK academic and research centres
The A2A database contains catalogues describing archives held locally in England and Wales and dating from the eighth century to the present day.
Archives within London and the M25 area
A national gateway to descriptions of archives in UK universities and colleges
The Archives Network Wales website contains standardised descriptions of the extent, type and scope of collections of documents held by Record Offices, universities and other bodies in Wales.
The ARCHON Directory includes contact details for record repositories in the United Kingdom and also for institutions elsewhere in the world which have substantial collections of manuscripts noted under the indexes to the National Register of Archives.
The National Archives is the official archive for England, Wales and the central UK government, containing 900 years of history from Domesday Book to the present.
The NRA contains information on the nature and location of manuscripts and historical records that relate to British history.
A single access point to more than fifty Scottish archives.
UK scholarly and historical societies
The Society’s aims are to conserve, improve and encourage a wide range of interests in the 100 mile network of Birmingham and Black Country waterways known as the BCN.
The Waterways Trust holds the largest collection of inland waterways-related material anywhere in the UK, consisting of approximately 78,000 records, much of it online at Virtual Waterways.
General links
British Waterways is responsible for maintaining 2,200 miles (3,540km) of inland waterway network for a wide range of leisure activities.
'The most comprehensive canal holiday guide and canal leisure directory - maps, holiday info, advice plus hundreds of links canal boatyards & marinas, boat sales, boat builders, surveyors, insurers, chandlers, trainers & equipment suppliers.'
Nearly 2000 links to canal and waterways related web sites.
"The only club dedicated to preserving the working heritage of our canals in its natural state, from the boats themselves to details of the waterways on which they travel."
The Trust's aims are 'to preserve and restore narrow boats and canal craft of all descriptions, exhibit the same for the benefit of the public and where possible to promote the use of such boats for commercial canal carrying'.
Covers canals of the South Pennines - news, links, RSS feeds.
'An encyclopedia of the canals and rivers of England and Wales, including historical data.'
'About the canals and navigable rivers of the UK, with a special focus on London.'
The Waterways Trust is a national charity which works with others to promote greater public enjoyment of Britain's inland waterways. 'We work with others to realise the social, economic, educational and environmental benefits of our waterways through waterway regeneration, conservation, recreation, community, arts and education projects.' Museums at Gloucester, Ellesmere Port and Stoke Bruerne house the inland waterways collection showing the profound influence of the waterways on social, technological, economic and environmental development in the UK over three centuries.
Museums
'The world's largest floating collection of inland waterways craft.
Housed in a restored cornmill in the picturesque village of Stoke Bruerne on the Grand Union Canal, the museum collection 'vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of inland waterways'.
Part of The Waterways Trust, the museum is housed in a splendid Victorian warehouse at the historic Gloucester Docks. Collection includes narrowboats, river barges, canal and river tugs, as well as a steam powered dredger. There is also a steam crane and heavy oil engine in the setting of a canal repair yard, complete with working machine shop, forge and weighbridge.
Magazines
Extensive online news features.
Online access to archive material.
'The inland waterways heritage magazine'
Can be read online
'Best selling canal and river magazine.'
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