SU9949 : Narrowboats on the Wey Navigation at Guildford
taken 11 years ago, near to Guildford, Surrey, England
A Narrowboat is a long thin boat, designed to fit the canals of England and Wales. They were 7 feet (2.1 metres) wide, and up to 70 feet (21 metres) in length, the maximum that will fit in a standard lock.
In the 18th century before the age of steam railways and the internal combustion engines, the canals were one of the key systems of transporting goods around the country. The boats were towed by a shire horse walking along the tow-path. Of course boats today are powered by diesel engines.
Most narrowboats today are used for holidays & leisure cruising, and some are used as homes.
Read more at wikipedia Link
The Wey Navigation opened in 1653 and was one of the first British rivers to be made navigable. In 1764 the Godalming Navigation opened, creating a 20-mile waterway running from the Thames at Weybridge to Godalming - now the southern-most part of the inland waterway network.
Originally the Wey Navigations were used for transporting barge loads of heavy goods via the Thames to London. Timber, coal, corn, flour, wood and even gunpowder were regularly moved up and down the waterway.
Later in 1796 the Basingstoke Canal was dug and connected to the Wey and in 1816 the Wey and Arun Junction Canal was opened, connecting with the Wey at Stonebridge.
For an interactive map see Link