In their industrial heyday, canals were bustling scenes of trade and commerce in Britain’s cities. Horse-drawn commercial boats carried goods along the waterways, and at one point the canal network carried nearly 40m tonnes of freight a year.

Today, canals are being reclaimed as recreational spaces in densely populated cities – destinations for city dwellers to run, cycle and socialise. These archive and present-day photos reveal their dramatic transformation.

Grand Union canal, London

A tug pulling barges full of coal noses its way through the ice-covered canal in Paddington in February 1947. Photographs: Associated Press (then), Jill Mead/Guardian (now)

Improvement work being carried out at Paddington Station in 1930, next to the canal, and present day. Photographs: Douglas Miller/Getty Images (then), Jill Mead/Guardian (now)

Rochdale canal, Manchester

Boats and barges on Rochdale canal in the centre of Manchester during a weekend rally made possible by the cleaning of the canal and repairing of lock gates by enthusiasts, April 1971. Photographs: Robert Smithies/Guardian (then), Christopher Thomond/Guardian (now)

Regent’s canal, London

The Black bridge in Camden in the mid-1970s and present day. Photographs: Peter Johns/Guardian (then), Jill Mead/Guardian (now)

Hampstead Road locks in 1972 and today. Photographs: Peter Johns/Guardian (then), Jill Mead/Guardian (now)

Ashton canal, Manchester

Looking along the canal from Clayton locks towards Manchester in 1974, and the view as it is now. Photographs: Robert Smithies/Guardian (then), Christopher Thomond/Guardian (now)

Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

Gas Street Basin in 1981 and in 2014. Photographs: David Bagnall/Shutterstock (then), Les Ladbury/Alamy (now)

Regency Wharf on Gas Street Basin looking toward the site for the Convention Centre in the mid-1970s, and present day. Photographs: Denis Thorpe/Guardian (then), Nick Maslen/Alamy (now)

Cardiff canal

A boatman climbs out of a barge as it passes through a lock in the heart of Cardiff near the castle, 1937. Photographs: Hulton Deutsch/Getty Images (then), Gareth Phillips/Guardian (now)

The canal revolution series looks at what our changing waterways reveal about modern British cities. Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use the hashtag #canalrevolution to join the discussion, or sign up for our weekly newsletter



