The Somerset Coal Canal, and the mildly terrifying world-first caisson lock

In the late 1700s a canal was constructed to transport coal to market from the Somerset coalfield. Its innovative but scary caisson lock, which saw boats sealed inside a box, underwater, inside a box, to be transported up and down hills, did not catch on, but makes for an interesting story, with a supporting role by William 'strata' Smith, the so-called father of English geology. 0:00 - Introduction and context of the Somerset Coal Canal 3:40 - The water shortage / elevation change problem 4:58 - The caisson lock 9:27 - The inclined plane 11:00 - The lock flight 14:35 - Railways arrive and the canal closes 17:44 - Outro and credits Sources, credits and transcript: https://pedestriandiversions.github.i...