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Liz McIvor recounts the tales of the men who built the canals - the navigators or navvies - focusing on their work on the Manchester Ship Canal.

This is the story of the men who built our canals - the navigators or navvies. They represented an army of hard physical men who were capable of enduring tough labour for long hours. Many roved the countryside looking for work and a better deal. They gained a reputation as troublesome outsiders, fond of drinking and living a life of ungodly debauchery. But who were they? Unreliable heathens and outcasts or unsung heroes who used might and muscle to build canals and railways?

We focus on the Manchester Ship Canal - the swansong for the navvies, hailed as the greatest engineering feat of the Victorian age. The navvies worked at a time of rising trade unionism. But could they organise and campaign for a better deal?

7 days left to watch

28 minutes

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Liz McIvor
Director Paul Craven
Producer Paul Craven

Broadcasts