What Is the Bridgewater Canal?

The Bridgewater Canal in Northwest England is considered Britain's first true canal (as opposed to a river navigation). Built 1759–1776 by Francis Egerton, the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater ("the Canal Duke"), it transported coal 62 miles from his Worsley mines to Manchester via the River Mersey at Runcorn. It pioneered large-scale use of resident boat families on narrowboats and sparked the late-18th-century canal mania. Today it remains navigable and is a popular heritage and recreation corridor.