Britain has a long history of canal building. Before the railways, canals were the main way to transport goods around the country. The first canal was built at Exeter between 1564 and 1566 and by 1791, plans were laid to build a canal which linked Braunston in Northamptonshire with the River Thames at Brentford. The Grand Union Canal was born.

The estimated cost of the scheme was £70,550, or £3.5million in today's money. The project was finished by December 1882 and was opened to traffic. This new avenue for Slough trade not only gave the brick making industry a large boost, but many wharves were established, especially in Langley and Iver.

This branch of the Grand Union Canal became increasingly popular; its peak being in 1915 when 129,200 tonnes of material were shipped through it. This was an unlikely success, as in the rest of the country the railway had taken over as the premier form of transportation and the canals were becoming increasingly silent. Not surprisingly, the Slough stretch was one of the last canal to be built in Britain.

However, Slough's branch of the Canal could not buck the national trend forever. By the 1950s the Canal fell into a steep decline.

Today the Canal is going through a bit of a renaissance. It has become a popular spot for fishing and boat trips, as well as being a magnet for wildlife, such as butterflies, swans, willow warblers and chiffchaffs.