Mike Webb’s fascination with canal boats began during his early years. He would hear the sound of boat engines from his school playground and later walk along the Shropshire Union Canal from Bridge 12 to Bridge 14 on his way home from Brewood Grammar School. This love for the canal and the working narrow boats stayed with him throughout his life.

While some of Mike’s photos were published in two short volumes in the 1980s, this book offers a new selection of photos, many of which have not been previously published. The book covers various themes, including Braunston’s Boats, Shroppie Boats, Brummagem Boats (never published), and Trent & Mersey Boats around Middlewich and Anderton. The majority of the photographs were taken in the 1960s along the Grand Union Canal near Braunston, the Shropshire Union Canal, the northern Trent & Mersey Canal, and the Birmingham Canal Navigations (B.C.N.). Pete Harrison notes the boats featured in the photographs, including images of the families who lived and worked aboard.