WHEN DID THE CANAL GO OUT OF FASHION IN BRIGG?

 
Watching a very interesting TV programme about British canals left Brigg Blog thinking about the New River Ancholme.
We used to call this waterway The Canal in the 1960s and 1970s to differentiate it from the winding "Old River" flowing under the County Bridge.
However, we haven't heard anyone local use "Canal" as a descriptive term for a long time.
A dictionary definition is "an artificial waterway or artificially improved river used for travel, shipping, or irrigation."
The Ancholme was "artificIally improved" at various times over a number of centuries -  Vermuyden through to Rennie and son.
Drainage teams made what was called The New Cut to reduce flooding by the river as it meandered its way towards the Humber.
Many boats used the Ancholme - some even ferrying passengers to and from Hull - but most carried coal and agricultural products.
The last commercial barges were seen in the early 1970s.

The Point where the Old River (left) and New River, or Canal, meet in Brigg.

One of the last barges to be seen on the Canal (New River Ancholme) in Brigg during the early 1970s. KEN FISHER COLLECTION.