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The books listed below have been recommended by society members
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Author:- HADFIELD, Charles ISBN-0947712194 |
Thomas Telford's Temptation Hadfield looks at the roles of William Jessop and Thomas Telford in the construction of the Ellesmere and Caledonian Canals, and asks whether Jessop has been given the credit his achievements merit. The relationship between the two men is considered in detail, and clues to Telford's character slowly emerge. Nevertheless, the fault does not lie wholly with Telford - Hadfield shows how John Rickman, faced with the impossible task of editing Telford's autobiography after his death, made decisions which consolidated Telford's reputation at the expense of Jessop's. An intriguing study, which gives the reader an insight into the breadth and variety of engineering work undertaken by major engineers of the eighteenth century. Reviewed by Catherine O'Brien |
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Author:-Richard Morris 84 pages Soft back Published by Shropshire Books, the publishing imprint of Shropshire County Council’s Community and Economic Division. ISBN 0-903802-47-3 |
Canals of Shropshire
Published in 1991 and reprinted in
1998, Canals in Shropshire by Richard K Morriss is a well researched
history of the complete Shropshire Union Canal system together with the
county’s navigable rivers and a short chapter on the never completed
Leominster Canal. A student at the Ironbridge Institute in the late
80’s, the author has made archaeology his career and this book rather
reflects this. Nevertheless, it is very readable, packed with
information and is well illustrated in black and white, using some good
historical photographs. In my view, the book is a must for anyone
interested in the development and the restoration of the Shropshire
Canals.
Reviewed By Ian Hendley
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Author:-Thomas Pellow & Paul Bowen ISBN 0-947849-00-9 |
An excellent little book (84 pages, soft bound) covering the history of the canal, a description of boats and cargoes and life on the canal. The description of the route is now a little dated but still conveys the character and ambience of the "Shroppie." |
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Author:-Harry Arnold ISBN0-7524-1660-X |
After a brief introduction summarising the history of the Montgomery Canal and its ongoing restoration, a series of over 170 black and white photographs follows the line from Frankton to Newtown. The earliest photographs include workmen repairing Berriew Aqueduct in 1889, and a postcard view of the canal north of Welshpool probably taken in the 1890s. Later photographs document the wharves, warehouses and working boats through the first half of the twentieth century, as well as the pleasure boats — around 1900 you could hire a rowing boat from coal merchant John Jones for 6d per hour. Of course there are a lot of photographs of the restoration but they do not predominate. There are also photographs of historical documents such as a closure notice from 1936 and a share certificate dated 28th July 1794. You may well read the book from cover to cover the first time around but really this is a book to dip into, time after time. And, like all the best picture books, the more you look the more you see.
Reviewed by Catherine O’Brien
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Author:-Tony Lewery ISBN-0715301454
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An overview of traditional narrow boat decoration, full of vibrant pictures of boats and boat people and their distinctive art form. Canal boat painting survived as a living folk art until the middle of the twentieth century. Lewery presents this art in its historical and social context, looking at the development of canal society and the integration of working and living on the boats. Individual canal artists and regional styles are considered in detail. Lewery has a light touch, and the pictures reward close examination. A pleasure to look at and to read, and a book to which you will return time and time again...
Reviewed by Catherine O'Brien
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Flowers Afloat |
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Author:- L.T.C.Rolt
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I started reading this book more from a sense of duty than with any expectation of enjoyment. How wrong I was! Rolt's graceful prose captivated me from the very first sentence, with its evocation of an older England already vanishing into the mists of history. Rolt bought and fitted out his first boat in 1939, and in this book he describes his exploration of the canal network, including the Shropshire Union from Middlewich to Autherley. But this is not just a book for canal enthusiasts. As well as the canals, Rolt explores the surrounding countryside, describing people and places with vividness and wit. The book is illustrated with black and white drawings by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, and includes photographs by Angela Rolt and others.
Reviewed by Catherine O'Brien
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Narrow Boat |
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