0:00:04 > 0:00:09This is the story of how canals changed and shaped our modern world.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Carrying huge volumes of goods and fuel,
0:00:13 > 0:00:18they were a stimulus to Britain's great Industrial Revolution.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20But they also gave us much, much more.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24And their legacy lives on today, often in surprising ways.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28My name's Liz McIvor.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I've spent my life studying and talking about history.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33And I believe it's time to take a different look
0:00:33 > 0:00:35at our inland waterways.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Since the Second World War,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42so much has happened to our canals.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44They're no longer places of smoke and toil,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46of graft and industry.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50They're now more likely to be places of calm and tranquillity,
0:00:50 > 0:00:52of heritage and style.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54But just how did this all happen?
0:01:07 > 0:01:09This is Birmingham,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12at the heart of our country's canal network.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17These days, like many of our canal towns and cities,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21cutting-edge architecture, carefully designed urban spaces
0:01:21 > 0:01:26and thoughtful use of water make the canals inviting places.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And, in rural parts of the country,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32the canals are often meandering ribbons of calm,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34quietly traversing the nation.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38It wasn't always like this.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Superseded first by the railways, and then by the roads,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46by the 1940s, many miles of canals were neglected and,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48to be frank, they were less than inviting.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Some stretches were filled in by the authorities.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Others silted up and became overgrown junkyards.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00The future for canals in Great Britain
0:02:00 > 0:02:02looked very bleak indeed.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06But then something really rather wonderful happened.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10It wasn't straightforward, but from the mid-1940s,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13committed groups of volunteer activists
0:02:13 > 0:02:16managed slowly but surely to convince the authorities
0:02:16 > 0:02:19that the canals were worth saving.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22The driving force behind the movement
0:02:22 > 0:02:25was undoubtedly the Inland Waterways Association -
0:02:25 > 0:02:28founded in 1946 by Tom Rolt,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30the author of the popular memoir Narrow Boat,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and fellow writer Robert Aickman.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36It would take time, a great deal of campaigning
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and hard work by the IWA and others.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41But a key moment came in 1968,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44when the Transport Minister Barbara Castle
0:02:44 > 0:02:49came down firmly on the side of canals with her Transport Act.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53The act meant that most canals would definitely be retained or,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55where needed, restored.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Slowly but surely, the plight of the canals improved
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and Britain's waterways looked more secure than they had for years.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06# Now is the time to send us a line
0:03:06 > 0:03:09# For your Hoseasons boating brochure. #
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Much of the heavy industry that the canals had been built for
0:03:13 > 0:03:14had largely gone,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18and this new era had an emphasis on recreation.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Whereas the canals would once have been filled
0:03:21 > 0:03:23with the smell and the noise of working boats,
0:03:23 > 0:03:25by the '60s and '70s,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28they were almost exclusively used by pleasure boaters -
0:03:28 > 0:03:30something that would have been inconceivable
0:03:30 > 0:03:31to people in years gone by.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Cheap European package holidays
0:03:35 > 0:03:39might have been kicking sand in the face of British seaside resorts,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42but the UK boating holiday industry was on the rise.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45And you didn't even have to own a boat.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46You could hire one!
0:03:46 > 0:03:49More people than ever could enjoy the canals
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and see industrial gems like this -
0:03:53 > 0:03:56the Pontcysyllte aqueduct in north-east Wales.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Completed in 1805 and designed by Thomas Telford,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04it carries the Llangollen Canal over the River Dee valley.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06And it was stunning locations like this
0:04:06 > 0:04:09that really helped sell the leisure side of canals
0:04:09 > 0:04:11to a new wave of boaters.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Peter Jones,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15better known as Jones the Boat,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18knows just what the attraction of pleasure boating is.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20It's different.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I think that's the thing.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25People don't expect it to be different, but it is.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30And it's a very calm way of travelling.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Everyone says how restful it is - what a wonderful way of life.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37And of course it's an ancient way of travelling.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39What do you think people like Thomas Telford
0:04:39 > 0:04:42would have thought of the use of this today?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44He'd have thought it was brilliant
0:04:44 > 0:04:46because he was ahead of his time anyway.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48In fact, he was ahead of us, wasn't he?
0:04:48 > 0:04:50His house is just over there
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and he'd be looking through those windows,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56cos that was his drawing office,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00and he'd be so proud to see it being used today.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Probably more than it was in the old days!
0:05:05 > 0:05:07It may not have been built for pleasure
0:05:07 > 0:05:10but it's certainly a wonderful by-product of the industrial age.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12And the aqueduct,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14affectionately known as "the stream in the sky",
0:05:14 > 0:05:18is now the centre of a World Heritage Site,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20and something for tourists and pleasure boaters
0:05:20 > 0:05:22to enjoy for years to come.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26And one of the great things about canal boats
0:05:26 > 0:05:28is that they're democratic.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33They're liberating, a bit like having a mobile home.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36It's allowed people from all walks of life to see more of the country.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And that's a pretty good legacy, if you ask me.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45The popularity of pleasure boating
0:05:45 > 0:05:48boosted more than just the tourism industry.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Into the '60s, '70s and '80s,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53boatyards were busy again.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57People wanted their boats to look the part, too,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00something sign writer David Kynaston knows all about.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04With canal boat decoration, has that changed recently?
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Is that the same as it always was?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Well, we've had the old traditional Victorian canal boats
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and they were wonderfully elaborate.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And that's remained with us for many years.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15But of course, with the advent of computerised signage
0:06:15 > 0:06:18over the last 20, almost 30 years,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21people have sort of tried that.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23But it doesn't lend itself to boats
0:06:23 > 0:06:25and I think people take a huge pride in their boats.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29You know, they get them hand-painted because they know it's nice.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30And they like a bit of sign writing.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32It's sort of the icing on the cake.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37If I take the excess of the paint off the brush
0:06:37 > 0:06:38and then what you've got to do -
0:06:38 > 0:06:40you see the brush is a chisel shape, OK?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43What you do is you lay it on there, you pull it in
0:06:43 > 0:06:45and just follow what I've got there.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47- Right, I'll have a go. - Just go for it.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48- You'll be fine.- Oh, gosh!
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Here we go.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54So, decorating boats in this way is part of the rich heritage
0:06:54 > 0:06:56of living and working on canals, isn't it?
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Oh, absolutely.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Originally, the boats were all done by the boat people
0:07:01 > 0:07:04and some of the lettering wasn't particularly brilliant on there.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05You know, there was no competition
0:07:05 > 0:07:08for who could do the best lettering or anything like that.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10But it didn't matter, it was what it was.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12It was the folk-art which was painted on the boats
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and it was done by the people on them.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And I think that was what was really important about it -
0:07:17 > 0:07:19that they could paint the boats themselves.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And I think that has owed a lot to how the...
0:07:22 > 0:07:24the lovely sort of rustic style,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27organic style has developed, really.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Well, thank you very much for letting me have a go.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Mine, of course, is nowhere near anything that you can do.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36I think I need about 30 more years of practice.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39I think it's fine, Liz!
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- Thank you, you're very kind. - Thank you.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I'm heading back over the border to England.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Whilst pleasure boaters
0:07:48 > 0:07:51understandably tended to focus on rural areas,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53some of the most dramatic changes
0:07:53 > 0:07:55to occur to our canals in recent times
0:07:55 > 0:07:57have been in cities.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Cities like Birmingham.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Once known as the workshop of the world,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Brum remains the heart of Britain's canal network.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08In fact, speak to any Brummie
0:08:08 > 0:08:12and they'll tell you there are more miles of canal here than in Venice.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15This is Gas Street Basin.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18At its peak, it was one of the busiest parts
0:08:18 > 0:08:20of the Birmingham Canal Navigations.
0:08:20 > 0:08:26But by the mid-'60s, it was increasingly underused.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Barrie Stanton kept a boat here and remembers the time well.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Well, the lasting impression was how quiet it was.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35All over there were old warehouses
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and they'd just gone to sleep.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40And there WERE people working here
0:08:40 > 0:08:44but it was a little community - not a lot of people knew about it.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45It was a closed community.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49People knew most everybody else in the basin
0:08:49 > 0:08:53but I don't think anybody else knew of us being here.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Gas Street Basin might have been a throwback to a forgotten era,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02but other parts of Birmingham were moving with the times.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03Riding the express elevator
0:09:03 > 0:09:06to the top of one of the city's highest buildings,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09this is the view that nearly took my breath away.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12In fact, a cinema short from 1981
0:09:12 > 0:09:15fronted by, of all people, Telly Savalas
0:09:15 > 0:09:18eulogised about Birmingham as a modern city.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21And yes, even the old canals got a mention.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24But what about arriving the Venetian way?
0:09:24 > 0:09:30159 miles of canals and 216 locks could give you a pretty busy trip.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32You arrive bang in the city centre
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and it's one-upmanship of a different kind.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38One-upmanship it may have been,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41but in a film lasting 25 minutes,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44those few lines were all Telly had to say about the canals.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47In fact, I get the impression he was more of a petrolhead
0:09:47 > 0:09:49than a canal enthusiast.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Birmingham's road systems are revolutionary -
0:09:52 > 0:09:55a four-mile circuit of dual carriageways.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56It's my kind of town.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Despite his preference for the ring road,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Telly's film does - perhaps presciently -
0:10:03 > 0:10:06identify the city's canals as aspirational places.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Even if, in 1981, they were still pretty rundown.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13By the late-'80s, though, things were improving
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and there were ambitious plans to build a multipurpose development
0:10:17 > 0:10:20right here, next to the canals in central Birmingham.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Canals were now no longer being seen as a problem,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24but an opportunity.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Once they were a catalyst for industrial revolution,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32now a catalyst for inner-city regeneration.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Work began on this spot in the late '80s.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41There was a lot to do,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45with dilapidated and derelict industrial buildings aplenty,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and Brindleyplace, as it's now known,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49was eventually opened in 1995.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52In a sense,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55along with the development of the London Docklands,
0:10:55 > 0:10:56around the same time,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00it showed what could be done with canals, docks and rivers.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And you didn't necessarily need boats.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Making a virtue of the water itself was the key.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Other cities around the country took note.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And, at a time when many of Britain's cities
0:11:11 > 0:11:14were desperate to boost their images
0:11:14 > 0:11:17after well-publicised problems such as rioting,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21regenerating the canals was seen as one route to success.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23So looking at this scenery now,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26it looks completely different to when it was being regenerated.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28What do you think of it?
0:11:28 > 0:11:30I think it's magnificent.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33You've got here essentially a situation, I think,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35where you can look at the canal
0:11:35 > 0:11:38and you can see the past of the canal.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Some people might argue that you should preserve
0:11:41 > 0:11:43everything that was here before.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45But the world doesn't really work like that.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49And I really think what we've achieved here
0:11:49 > 0:11:54is where the traditional canal environment has informed the future
0:11:54 > 0:11:57and we've got an interesting mixture of uses here
0:11:57 > 0:12:01that provide both employment and leisure, and indeed housing.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03And was that part of the original planning?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Yes, without a doubt.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07The whole of the Brindleyplace development,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and let's not forget that it extends way beyond the canal
0:12:10 > 0:12:12to beyond the buildings that we're looking at now,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16was required to be a mixed-use development.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19And as part of that, it was important
0:12:19 > 0:12:23that everything around the edge of the Brindleyplace development
0:12:23 > 0:12:25had a positive relationship with the canal.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26And as a pleasure boater,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30do you feel that this is a nice place to come to?
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Oh, definitely.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Many a time we've actually brought the boat up to Birmingham.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Birmingham becomes the first stop.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38It's a day trip up and we can stop.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41And you feel remarkably safe as well.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43But great fun going around in a boat.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45You become the central attraction anyway.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Whatever your take on the development,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53there can be no denying that this area
0:12:53 > 0:12:55has been well and truly rejuvenated.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Gentrified, even.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01More than 10,000 people work here
0:13:01 > 0:13:03and four million visit each year.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06Remind you of anything?
0:13:16 > 0:13:19As well as bars, restaurants and art galleries,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23part of the appeal is no doubt the way the area itself looks.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28What really interests me is the mixture of architecture.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30When you think of traditional canal buildings,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33you think of bricks, bridges, curved archways,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36girders and decorative ironwork.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37Although these buildings are new,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41there's definitely more than a nod to the original design.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44And correct me if I'm wrong,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46but isn't that a little tribute to Venice,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Europe's second most famous canal city?
0:13:49 > 0:13:50Looks quite Venetian to me.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59But whilst many canal-side redevelopments
0:13:59 > 0:14:01have involved brand-new buildings,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04developers have also been keen to find new ways
0:14:04 > 0:14:08to adapt what are often unique original buildings.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13This is a building that we refer to as the Roundhouse
0:14:13 > 0:14:15in central Birmingham.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18And the building was strategically located
0:14:18 > 0:14:21between the canal and the railway line
0:14:21 > 0:14:26for the Public Works Department of the city of Birmingham.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Built in 1874 with numerous stables for the horses,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33the building was also used to store
0:14:33 > 0:14:36the stone used to repair the city's roads,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39and its location on the banks of the Birmingham Mainline canal
0:14:39 > 0:14:41was crucial.
0:14:41 > 0:14:42So, Lizzy, this shape,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45this architecture designed around the use of horses
0:14:45 > 0:14:49is very much part of the traditional canal architecture, isn't it?
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Yeah, if you go to any canal,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55you'll notice that often buildings are circular, octagonal, hexagonal
0:14:55 > 0:14:58and it's because of this idea of the functional tradition.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Everything had a purpose
0:15:00 > 0:15:04and you don't find many right angles on canal structures, bridges,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07because it would have snagged the rope
0:15:07 > 0:15:11which was essential for the use of horses pulling goods along.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13So, what's it used for now?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15It's got a few uses at the moment.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The biggest development is at the canal side of the building
0:15:18 > 0:15:22where the Fiddle & Bone pub has just recently opened.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27But unfortunately the majority of the building is currently vacant
0:15:27 > 0:15:31so the proposed use is a community use for the building,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35a place where people can come and learn about the story
0:15:35 > 0:15:39of the West Midlands canal system and then go off and explore it.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Whilst larger cities realised the value of canals
0:15:58 > 0:16:00in recent decades,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02it's also been true for the smaller towns.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06This is Stourport-on-Severn, 20 miles south west of Birmingham.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08With a population of around 20,000,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10it's believed to be the only town
0:16:10 > 0:16:13solely built as a consequence of the canals.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19With the opening of the canal to Stourport in 1771,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23the town became a key location for transporting goods from Bristol
0:16:23 > 0:16:25to the Midlands and the North.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27During the 1800s,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Stourport became the second busiest inland port in the Midlands
0:16:31 > 0:16:32after Birmingham.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34The good times couldn't last forever, though.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36As the 20th century wore on,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40the canal areas of Stourport became sorely neglected.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Come the early 2000s, though, Stourport began to stir.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49In a way we were lucky that it was neglected,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53because it meant a lot of the old structures and buildings remained
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and nobody had any thoughts of redevelopment.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00So it was all there just waiting to be reawakened, as it were.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05The initial phase was as a result of the Heritage Lottery grant
0:17:05 > 0:17:08which British Waterways applied for.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12And that involved restoring a lot of the structures around us here,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16including reroofing the clock warehouse,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20which is one of the iconic buildings of Stourport.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21And I think psychologically
0:17:21 > 0:17:24the developments have been very important for the town.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27So would you say that local people are really proud
0:17:27 > 0:17:29of their town's heritage and connection with waterways?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Yes, I think they are.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34And we're trying to encourage that interest
0:17:34 > 0:17:36by running two heritage rooms
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and also a series of events during the course of the year.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41I think the big problem is selling the town,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43making outsiders, particularly,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46aware of the very rich canal heritage we've got.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Stourport is a great example of a canal-side location
0:17:51 > 0:17:54recognising and embracing its heritage.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57But I think one of the most important legacies of the canals
0:17:57 > 0:18:00is their potential for tranquillity and solitude.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Ironic, given that, at their peak, they'd have been far from quiet.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Fortuitous this may be,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13but it's something Mark Robinson, from the Canal And River Trust,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16says is appreciated by more than just humans.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20You know, one of the things that really excites me about the canals,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and, you know, when I first joined the organisation,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25that I got really excited about,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29was the connectivity and how they crisscross the country.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33It brings the wildlife right into the heart of our towns and cities.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37And we're not far from the heart of Birmingham at the moment
0:18:37 > 0:18:39and yet if I told you we were
0:18:39 > 0:18:42in the middle of Dorset or somewhere like that,
0:18:42 > 0:18:43you'd probably believe me.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46And you can go up into Birmingham and see kingfishers.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50And if we're lucky, we might see one dart past us today.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52You know, it's fantastic for wildlife.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54What kinds of other animals might you see
0:18:54 > 0:18:56if you came at different times of day?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58You might be lucky and see an otter.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03Otters are making a huge recovery on our canals and rivers.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06If you come at dusk, fantastic places for bats.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09And what sort of fish and wildlife are actually in the water?
0:19:09 > 0:19:16Huge different species - chub and roach and perch, a few big pike.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19You know, one of the beauties of the canals is the connectivity.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23But that also allows some of the more detrimental species
0:19:23 > 0:19:25to travel around
0:19:25 > 0:19:29and we are trying to manage them as best we can.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Well, there were no kingfishers to be seen today, sadly,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40but when the sun is shining,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42there can be few better ways to enjoy the canals
0:19:42 > 0:19:44than with a leisurely boat trip.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47Here in Birmingham,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49the Canal And River Trust have spent the last year or so
0:19:49 > 0:19:51resurfacing the towpaths.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It's not an easy job
0:19:53 > 0:19:55but it's fantastic for the people who use them.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05I'm just a couple of miles out of the centre of Birmingham now,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07and it still feels very calm and tranquil.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11But you're starting to get that buzz of the city again.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12I just think it's fantastic
0:20:12 > 0:20:15that people are using the canals so regularly.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19And why wouldn't they?
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Canals are often the most direct routes
0:20:21 > 0:20:24in and out of towns and cities.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And if you ask me, they're certainly the most rewarding.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30And now we're right back at the heart of the city.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Kind of beats the ring road, doesn't it?
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Surely even Telly Savalas would agree with me on that.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Arriving back in the centre of Birmingham
0:20:41 > 0:20:44is a good opportunity to reflect again
0:20:44 > 0:20:46on all that the canals have done for us.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50This spot, once a thriving, working canal,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52then neglected and almost forgotten,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55is bustling once more -
0:20:55 > 0:20:58rich with new industry and residents.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01And just look at these swanky canal-side apartments.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04The water is real focal point,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06not to mention a major selling point.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And it's the same in other canal towns and cities.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17In a sense, we've come full circle.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Canals are as busy as ever, if not busier,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22but they're far removed from the industrial places
0:21:22 > 0:21:25that would have been known to navvies and the boat people of the past.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30As with so much of the canal network's story,
0:21:30 > 0:21:31the irony is thick.
0:21:31 > 0:21:32Back in the day,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35living on canals was a curious way of life,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and not always a desirable one.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Few aspired to live on a canal.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41You did it out of necessity,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44or you were born into that way of life.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48But nowadays, canal boats have become something of a des-res.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Partly due to spiralling property prices in the UK,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53the numbers living on narrow boats
0:21:53 > 0:21:56has increased massively in recent years.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I've come to meet Dave Paine,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04who says he always wanted to live on a narrow boat.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Five years ago, he achieved that ambition.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10He says it's surpassed all his expectations.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14The one downside, big downside,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17is that I can touch both walls of my home
0:22:17 > 0:22:19with both hands at the same time.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It's small. But once you kind of get over that,
0:22:22 > 0:22:28the benefits that you get, to me, far outweigh the negatives.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32And the benefits are often the more intangible things.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35They are to do with community and wellbeing
0:22:35 > 0:22:40and just feeling...content with what you've got.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Dave paints a positive picture,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46but it's not always straightforward.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49I moved onto this boat in November 2010,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51just heading into what turned out to be
0:22:51 > 0:22:55the coldest November, December for 30 or 40 years.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58And within a few weeks of moving onto the boat
0:22:58 > 0:23:02and coming to Gas Street Basin, here, the canal iced over
0:23:02 > 0:23:03and didn't thaw out until...
0:23:03 > 0:23:06I think it was end of January, beginning of February.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09So it was a real baptism of fire, that first winter.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14But I think I was just so high on the honeymoon period of it,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17the newness and the novelty of the whole thing,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20that I was just in love with the whole experience.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23With electricity on tap, Dave doesn't want for home comforts.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26But if you're thinking that living on a boat
0:23:26 > 0:23:28might be a cheaper option than a house,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31make sure you do your sums carefully.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35You've got the ongoing mooring fees.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Here the mooring fees are in the region of £2,000 a year.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41We also have a boat licence to pay on the top,
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and my boat licence is in the region of £900 a year.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48But then perhaps even harder to define
0:23:48 > 0:23:53are the ongoing maintenance costs that are always there with a boat.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57As soon as you seem to have fixed one thing,
0:23:57 > 0:23:58something else goes wrong.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03Maintenance isn't the only challenge facing the live-aboard community.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I am aware of situations
0:24:05 > 0:24:07where there's been specific local opposition
0:24:07 > 0:24:10to new marinas and moorings being put in
0:24:10 > 0:24:14because of concerns about the types of people that live on boats.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20But I do feel in terms of that heritage, I feel like...
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Although I'm a newcomer to the canals
0:24:24 > 0:24:26living in a place like Gas Street Basin,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28which is surrounded by history...
0:24:28 > 0:24:30You've got the old canal-side buildings
0:24:30 > 0:24:34that are still here in amongst newer buildings.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38You've got this structure here, which is called the Worcester Bar,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40which was the original structure
0:24:40 > 0:24:44that the two sides of the canal used to ship goods over.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45And now I moor up against it,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48and I feel very privileged to be in a place like this.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Of course, Dave and his floating neighbours
0:24:53 > 0:24:56are now as much a part of the canal story as anything.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Although, in London particularly,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01the increasing popularity of houseboats is causing problems.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06There are now more than 3,000 houseboats in London,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08twice the number of eight years ago,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and that growth is stretching the limits of the canal system.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Overall, though, things are looking good for the canals.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20The future for canals is a really exciting one.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24People are starting to see the real benefits of them.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28They're enjoying them at the weekends, in the week.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31And is there potential perhaps to open more of them?
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Oh, absolutely.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36At the moment, there's over 100 restoration groups
0:25:36 > 0:25:41who either want to reopen sections of canals that are still in water
0:25:41 > 0:25:43but just need investment,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46but also there's old areas where canals used to be
0:25:46 > 0:25:47that need to be dug out.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51And there's also active groups who want to dig out canals
0:25:51 > 0:25:55and they all work at the weekend, like they did in the '60s,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58to get their little section of canal reopened
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and connected to the existing system.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It'd be fantastic, wouldn't it,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08to think that in 100 or 200 years' time,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11people can enjoy this type of lifestyle.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12I hope so.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16And what I really hope is that the heritage we look after today
0:26:16 > 0:26:20is still very much a part of the waterway network in the future.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24So there are definite grounds for optimism,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28but tourist boards certainly aren't resting on their laurels
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and are forever finding new ways
0:26:30 > 0:26:32of attracting new visitors to their canals.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36In Scotland, they've built the Helix -
0:26:36 > 0:26:39an ecopark by the Forth and Clyde Canal -
0:26:39 > 0:26:42featuring these rather striking sculptures,
0:26:42 > 0:26:43known as the Kelpies.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46In Warwickshire,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50the sculptor Anthony Gormley has recently unveiled his latest work.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59And parts of the Manchester Ship Canal
0:26:59 > 0:27:02are even being used for triathlons these days.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07And look at the boats themselves.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10In a sense, they sum up the reinvention
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and the rejuvenation of the canals perfectly.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16These boats - built decades ago -
0:27:16 > 0:27:18were designed to carry haulage.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20Nowadays, they've been adapted
0:27:20 > 0:27:22to carry a different type of cargo altogether -
0:27:22 > 0:27:25tourists, diners and party-goers.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29When you hear people referring to the golden age of canals,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32they're usually talking about the early 1800s.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34But I think there's a really strong case
0:27:34 > 0:27:37for saying that the golden age of canals is now.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Yes, almost everything we love about them now
0:27:41 > 0:27:42has been serendipitous.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45They weren't built for pleasure, but think about it -
0:27:45 > 0:27:48by and large, they're in better condition than ever before,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51and people actually want to use them -
0:27:51 > 0:27:56to travel on them, to live on, and close by, them.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00The legacy left behind by those who designed them, toiled on them,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02and died building them, even,
0:28:02 > 0:28:04is really appreciated.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06And I think you can hardly deny
0:28:06 > 0:28:09that the canals have helped to make our nation what it is.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13The canals are the creations that keep on giving
0:28:13 > 0:28:16more than 200 years after they were first built.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And that begs one last question.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22So, shouldn't we be building some more?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24I'm sure we can find room somewhere.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27And after all, we know they're built to last.