PJ Wakeman and Son: Coal Merchants of the Grand Union and Regents Canals
Formed from the amalgamation of several different canals and coming into its current form in 1932, the Grand Union Canal stretches for just under 290 miles, making it the longest in Britain.
Linking Birmingham to London, where it joins the Regent’s Canal, it was once the trunk route of the waterways but struggled to compete with the ever-increasing road and rail networks of the early twentieth century. Its importance to industry waned and like many of the U.K.’s other canals, fell into disrepair taking with it a large number of the small businesses that plied their trade along its length.
However, in the late twentieth century following investment and repair it has become home to many who choose to live on houseboats and barges. Allied with a rise in the number of people using canals for recreational purposes, a lifeline was extended to some of the businesses that operate on it, including PJ Wakeman and Son.
From Denham in West London, just inside the M25 motorway, to Limehouse and East Hackney in East London, they provide fuel and sanitation services to barges along their route. In doing so, they also offer a glimpse into canal life where once there would have been many families earning their living on Britain’s waterways.
