British Waterways sign near Gas Street Basin on the BCN.

British Waterways is a government body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Scottish Executive in the United Kingdom. It is the navigation authority for the vast majority of the inland waterways in the UK. Half of the United Kingdom population lives within five miles of one of British Waterways' canals or rivers. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 591 KB) Broad Street Tunnel on the Birmingham Canal Navigations which are now managed by British Waterways. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1760x1168, 591 KB) Broad Street Tunnel on the Birmingham Canal Navigations which are now managed by British Waterways. ... Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) is a network of canals linking Birmingham, England to Wolverhampton and the Black Country. ... The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities. ... The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities. ... The term Scottish Executive is used in two distinct but closely related senses. ... For canals of Northern Ireland see the Canals of Ireland article // History See History of the British canal system for a more detailed history. ...

British Waterways manages and cares for over 2000 miles (3219 km) of canals, rivers, docks, buildings, structures and landscapes. This includes 2800 listed structures, more than 130 Scheduled Ancient Monuments, more than 800 designated areas, as well as more than 100 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). It maintains a museum of its history within the National Waterways Museum at Gloucester. The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France. ... The Murray River in Australia. ... A dock is an area of water between two piers or alongside a pier, forming a chamber used for building or repairing one ship. ... Photograph of a landscape A landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including physical elements such as landforms, living elements of flora and fauna, abstract elements such as lighting and weather conditions, and human elements, for instance human activity or the built environment). ... A Scheduled Ancient Monument is defined in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the National Heritage Act 1983 of the United Kingdom government. ... A Site of Special Scientific Interest or SSSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. ... Britain National Waterways Museum is housed in a Victorian warehouse at Gloucester Docks in the city of Gloucester in South West England. ... Gloucester (pronounced ) is a city and district in south-west England, close to the Welsh border. ...

See also

• History of the British canal system
• Crick Boat Show
• Continuous cruiser
• Narrowboat
• UK topics

Traditional working canal boats // Early history Evidence suggests that the first British canals were built in Roman times, often as irrigation canals or short connecting spurs between navigable rivers, such as Foss Dyke. ... The Crick Boat Show, organised by British Waterways, has quickly established itself as one of Englands most notable annual canal-based events. ... Continuous Cruiser (CCer) is a term used on the inland waterways of the UK. It specifically denotes a narrow boater that has no permanent home mooring. ... A narrowboat is a boat or small barge used on narrow beam canals in Britain. ... This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• British Waterways website