The Trent and Mersey Canal first came into use in 1777. A vital transport link for the industries of the midlands - indeed Josiah Wedgewood of the pottery was an early supporter - it carried coal, ironstone, limestone merchandise, pottery and salt. Despite the arrival of the railways and subsequently motorways, the carriage of freight continued up until 1970. After inevitable decline, various restoration programmes have been undertaken and the waterway is now popular with boaters. A working waterway for 250 years, the need to adapt to changing transport needs has been a constant factor in this canal's history. With over 100 archive and present-day photographs, maps and plans, the book describes the need for the canal and the key personnel who were involved in its inception. Engineering and constructions of the canal and its branches are looked at in detail along with further improvements to the canal and how these boosted trade. A century of ownership by railway companies, subsequent nationalisation and later decline is discussed. The book also looks at the people who lived and worked on the canal. Finally, restoration, rejuvenation and the future of the canal is covered.

Several generations have now passed since iron making and working was an important trade in the Black Country. It was started by itinerant bloomers, who moved their bloomeries around the district to make use of local supplies of ore, smelting it with charcoal made from forest wood. Water-powered bloomeries were eventually replaced by blast furnaces, which in turn were replaced by coke-fired smelting furnaces. Black Country ironmasters had their share of success and failure, profits and loss, wealth and bankruptcy. Such is the nature of the trade that supply and demand created periods of expansion and then through over production an inevitable slump. Political factors also had influence. Wars created increased demand for iron for ordnance. When the battles were over and the wars won or lost, the bigger losers were the ironmasters and their workforce. However matters changed through the mid-nineteenth century, during the reign of Queen Victoria, when innovation and invention reached new heights.