Talk on UK's Inland Waterways by Kirk Martin

Kirk Martin, one of our u3a Bromley members kindly gave his time and expertise to present the UK’s Inland Waterways to us during a General Meeting talk on 20 January to around 180 people. We were treated to a history of when, why and how canals came about from the late 18th Century, we learned about some of the engineering feats that were mastered to create these canals, how the canals revolutionised the movement of goods on an early industrial scale and and how later many provided valuable architecture for the subsequent growth of railways.

We learned many canal stories, heard about families living and working on the canals, traced Kirk’s own involvement from a young age and also that of his wife and family and the vital work of legacy and preservation done by many volunteers since. These messages were all amplified through an amazing collection of personal photographs. Thanks Kirk, it was a great talk.