Until the middle of the 18th century life for the majority of Britons had not changed greatly since the Middle Ages, but then in the space of 200 years the pace of change accelerated rapidly. Civil engineering was vital for these sudden and huge improvements to our economy and quality of life. For any significant industrial development efficient transport to import raw materials and export the finished product is vital. Rivers, roads and harbours were all at the forefront of civil engineering at this time. To take rivers as an example, civil engineering provided weirs, to increase river levels, flash or pound locks to allow boats to pass the weirs and in some cases constructed lengths of artificial waterway to by-pass difficult lengths of river. This book is part of a three-part regional series on civil engineering heritage that examines the contribution civil engineering has made to society over the last two hundred years, its successes and failures, including transport networks, architecture and landscape design. It is fully illustrated throughout, making an important contribution to the industrial history of British, and would interest anyone with a desire to know more about civil engineering's impact on Britain.