An Inland Voyage: Life on the Coventry and Oxford canals

The atmospheric photography exhibition, An Inland Voyage, will be on show at the National Waterways Museum from Friday 22 April until the end of June.

The event will celebrate the stunning work of Robert Longden, depicting working life on Britain’s inland waterways during the 1940s and 50s.

The exhibition, which was previously at the Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery and the Gloucester Waterways Museum is now making its way to the National Waterways Museum. The photographs of Robert Longden will be on public display, showcasing the black and white images that reveal the remarkable photographic accomplishments of a Coventry factory worker.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s Robert Longden documented an intimate history of a working life which has now disappeared, providing a unique insight into the realities of life afloat in the post-war period. The photographs record the narrowboat people he encountered, befriended and recorded for posterity, catching the moment of transformation that saw canals change from being industrial thoroughfares to locations for leisure.

The 43 photographs have been carefully restored for the exhibition by Longden’s great-grandson Stephen Pochin. A photographer himself, Pochin retraced his great-grandfather’s footsteps, travelling the towpath to record this area as it is today. His colourful shots make a marked contrast with Longden’s brooding, images of a smoky industrial landscape.