Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of Yorkshire’s watermen did not spend all their time living onboard their vessels with their families. It was the norm to retain a home on land which was visited whenever the opportunity arose. If you earned your living on the waterways it therefore made perfect sense for home to be near a river or canal where you could moor your vessel until the next trip. 

This section of our gallery holds images of the towns and villages where those watermen lived and worked.

Hover your cursor over the photograph and you will see a short title. Click on the photograph and you should see a larger version and more information.