Getting goods moved around the country is a vitally important part of modern life. Being able to shop for a wide range of foods that are readily available to us, as well as the ease of online shopping is something that we have become accustomed to in modern times, and our transport system includes companies like this same day courier Slough based UK TDL who will get things delivered anywhere around the country within the day.
But in days gone by, transportation of goods around the country was very different – here is how things have changed in Britain…
The Building of Roads – Our ancient ancestors, the Celts lived in Britain during the earliest of times. Throughout the bronze age and the iron age, these people relied on ancient tracks which many people think may be the origins of the ley lines across the county. The book, the Old Straight Track by Alfred Watkins goes into this in great detail. Using hall tops as important viewing points, these tracks went across the UK in straight lines, connecting communities. However, the arrival of the Romans introduced the first actual roads to Britain. Many of these are believed to have been built over some of the existing ancient tracks, and there are many Roman roads still in use around the country, especially in the areas that were Roman settlements.
The Industrial Revolution – The movement of goods around the country relied mainly on horse drawn transport until the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th Century. This was a time of huge change to the way that the people in Britain lived and worked, and the transport network needed to support this. Technology was advancing rapidly, and the economy was growing, so new ways to transport goods around the country were changing the way that people lived. The introduction of canals meant that larger quantities of goods could be moved on the narrow boats, pulled by large horses up and down the country – it is a well known fact of course that Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice.
As well as the canals during this time came the invention of the steam locomotive and therefore the railway. Railways meant that journeys that would have once taken many days could be completed in hours and allowed for vast quantities of goods to be moved around the country quickly and easily compared to how it was in the past.
The Internal Combustion Engine – When the internal combustion engine was invented in 1879 by Karl Benz, this changed things once again. New vehicles could be invented and by the early 20th Century, vehicles powered by this could be used on the roads to move goods around. The outbreak of World War 1 meant that newer and better changes could be made to these machines allowing for more goods to be moved, and the road networks were also expanded. This saw the start of the haulage industry.
