History of the British canal system (played a vital role in the Industrial Revolution) the less successful canals failed quickly, and they were unable to compete against railways.
They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role of recreational boating. From the mid-19th century, railways began to replace canals, especially those built with the standard narrow (7 ft [2.1 m]) bridges and locks. The canal network declined, and many canals were bought by railway companies  in some cases to enable them to penetrate rival companies' areas transhipping to/from canal boats. Some narrow canals became unusable, filled with weeds, silt and rubbish, or were converted to railways. 
