Our Museums
The National Waterways Museum, Gloucester Waterways Museum
and the Canal
Museum, in Northamptonshire, are housed in historic
canal-side buildings and bring together a unique fleet of historic
boats, rich collections and archives to tell the fascinating story
of Britain's
At each museum, we are working with volunteers and the local
community to
- open up the story of our waterways
- create new opportunities for learning
- support wider regenerate in the local area
Waterways Archive
Our Waterways Archive holds a wide range of material relating to
the history of Britain's canals and inland waterways. Documents
include boat-building plans, working records, accounts, letters and
photographs. At the core of the collection are the archives of
British Waterways and the early canal companies, which trace the
history of Britain's inland waterways back to its very roots in the
17th century.
A fascinating trove of information of people researching their
family tree, the archives provides valuable documentation for
historical research, restoration work and social documentation of
life during the 17th to 19th centuries.
You can discover more about the Waterways
Archive on-line or contact our archives team, Caroline Jones at Gloucester Waterways Museum
or Linda Barley at the National Waterways
Museum.