Login
0
A History of Life on Britain's Rivers and Canals
For centuries, living afloat on Britain’s waterways has been a rich part of the fabric of our social history, from the fisherfolk of ancient Britain to the bohemian houseboat dwellers of the 1950s and beyond.
Whether they have chosen to leave the land behind and take to the water or been driven there by necessity, the history of the houseboat is a unique and fascinating seam of British history.
In Water Gypsies, Julian Dutton – who was born and grew up on a houseboat – traces the evolution of boat-dwelling, from an industrial phenomenon in the heyday of the canals to the rise of life afloat as an alternative lifestyle in postwar Britain.
Drawing on personal accounts and with a beautiful collection of illustrations, Water Gypsies is both a vivid narrative of a unique way of life and a valuable addition to social history.
There could be no better or more informative guide to a history of life aboard. Whether you want to know about working boats, prison hulks, Dickensian houseboats, pleasure cruisers, floating restaurants or artists’ retreats, this book is for you.
Samuel West,
Love the book!
Super-informative facts and history
Thames Path National Trail,
27th April, 2021 in Society & Culture, Transport & Industry
Since being born on a Thames houseboat many moons ago the river has cast a spell across my soul; its soft lappings, its secret islets, its wildly changing moods – reckless and brave one minute, mournful and dissipated the next. My new book, Water Gypsies, is inspired of cour…
22nd January, 2018 in Transport & Industry
It was during the eighteenth century, when Britain was bursting with trade, industry and commerce that the great age of canal building was born. Manufacturing was changing – local craftsmen were being replaced by factories where goods could be mass produced, on an unprecedented s…
