Lost Industry

For more than two centuries, Britain’s inland waterways were the working veins of the nation’s industrial heart. Long before the canals became places for walkers, wildlife and weekend cruising, they were alive with the sights, sounds and smells of industry.

Every bend and basin had a purpose: to supply factories, feed furnaces or dispatch finished goods to distant markets. Wharves were stacked with timber and iron, warehouses rang with the clatter of cargo being shifted, and smoke from nearby kilns and power stations drifted across the cut. These were not quiet, pastoral places; they were the working front lines of the Industrial Revolution.

Today, most of that world has vanished. The industries that once relied on the canals have closed or moved on, their buildings demolished or converted to new uses. Some are now lively leisure hubs, others quiet stretches where only the observant spot the clues. But all played a role in the making of modern Britain and its waterway network.

Stockton, Grand Union Canal – From cement works to quiet moorings

Then: Stockton in Warwickshire was home to several cement works, including Charles Nelson & Co Ltd, which began as lime burners in the mid-19th century and transitioned to cement manufacturing by 1860. The cement works played a crucial role in the construction industry, supplying materials for building projects across the region. With the company’s vast premises built alongside the Warwick & Napton Canal (today’s Grand Union), the waterways were vital for transporting raw materials like limestone and coal to the cement works and distributing the finished product.

Now: The cement works ceased operations by 1950 and most of the buildings were demolished over the following decade. Since 2013, the site has been completely redeveloped, including the excavation of a 19th-century canal arm. Called Nelson’s Wharf, this is now used to provide moorings and services for nine boats, with a further three boat spaces along the Grand Union itself.

This is an extract from the 'Lost Industry' article that appears in Waterways World, January 2026 click the link to access the full article and see the other locations on well-used cruising routes where industry once dominated the landscape