The canal wharf in Preston was once a busy place but gradually fell into disuse. It was eventually filled in and today no trace of it can be seen. Life on the canals became a way of life that continued, well into the 1960s.

Heavy goods were transported such as gravel and coal. This was quarried in the Carnforth area, not far from the route of the canal. Local carriers brought in bulky goods to be sold to builders and gardeners. Baines Brothers had their own boats and brought in gravel for paths and building construction.

Life on the boats

Life on the boats was hard. Canal carriers were paid by the ton, not on an hourly rate. Eighteen hour days were not uncommon. Often the boaters had to load and unload the cargo. The canal wharf in Preston did have some mechanical assistance to get coal into the barge, however it still needed to be shovelled out by hand at the other end. Wages were poor and got worse in the 20th century as rates were cut to compete with road haulage.

On longer runs men might only see their families once a week. As a result, women and children often lived on board and overcrowding became a problem. The canal act of 1877 attempted to regulate how many could live on board and inspectors patrolled the canal. However the crews often saw the inspector coming and sent their children on an errand.

Three was no water onboard apart from that gathered from cans on the roof. Pumps were provided along the canal towpath. Water for washing and cleaning was often taken from the canal itself. Cooking was done on a small coal range or later by bottled gas.

Boats were horse drawn until 1886 when steam engines began to be used. These had the disadvantage of needing a lot of space for the engine and coal. Moreover, they also needed two people to operate. Later Bolinder diesel engines began to be used, however that was after 1912. As can be seen in the images, horses were still being used in 1905 for the Preston run.

Very little remains of the buildings in the above image. You can use the church to get oriented as it appears in the modern image below, just beneath the wording ‘University of Central Lancashire’.

The end of the line

The canal gradually filled up with rubbish and was filled in in the 1960s. Much of the site was built over although two of the over-bridges survive.

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