Barging Around

A Broader Outlook: NarrowBoat, Spring 2013

David Martin

David Martin’s career took him all around the country in the late 1950s and the 1960s, and he used the opportunity to photograph barges that were still at work on diverse navigations

If you came across a loaded barge on our waterways today, other than in the North East, you would almost certainly be surprised. But not all that long ago, most of the wider waterways still retained some commercial traffic. These photographs offer a reminder of the variety of craft that could still be encountered on our canals and river navigations 50–60 years ago. They added colour, character and a sense of purpose that is sadly missing from most British waterways today.…