During the 19th century, canal carriers played a crucial role in transporting goods across Britain’s inland waterways. They were busiest on the main routes connecting the North West, North East, and Midlands with London, often using “narrow” canals and narrowboats for transport. While some boats carried minerals and bulk materials, others were dedicated to merchandise transportation. This series aims to explore the merchandise carrier operation, specifically focusing on the time before a national railway network existed.

During this era, flyboats and stageboats were common, with the former traveling day and night and the latter stopping at various wharves and transferring cargo to the faster flyboat service. Although turnpikes and canals were thought to compete for traffic, there was also significant interchange between the roads and waterways.