Waterways
Dublin Core
Title
Waterways
Subject
Landscape - British
Description
Waterways: Journeys around the South Pennine Ring
The South Pennine Ring is a network of canals which intersect the counties of Lancashire and
Yorkshire. Built in the industrial era of the 18th century, this network of artificial waterways has
evolved from vital trade and transportation routes into quasi-heritage sites, a complex mix of
pastoral landscapes, industrial relics and utilitarian architecture for the growing post-industrial
economy.
For five years I navigated the seventy-mile arterial walking routes along the ring’s Rochdale,
Ashton, Huddersfield canals and Calder & Hebble Navigation. The dialogue between walking
and making photographs began by following a line on a map. Over time this gradually developed
into a cyclic journey, re-imagining landscape as a form of palimpsest. Following this sprawling
network of waterways, the past and present overlap, converge and industrial legacies become
superimposed on the surface of a post-industrial landscape.
The South Pennine Ring is a network of canals which intersect the counties of Lancashire and
Yorkshire. Built in the industrial era of the 18th century, this network of artificial waterways has
evolved from vital trade and transportation routes into quasi-heritage sites, a complex mix of
pastoral landscapes, industrial relics and utilitarian architecture for the growing post-industrial
economy.
For five years I navigated the seventy-mile arterial walking routes along the ring’s Rochdale,
Ashton, Huddersfield canals and Calder & Hebble Navigation. The dialogue between walking
and making photographs began by following a line on a map. Over time this gradually developed
into a cyclic journey, re-imagining landscape as a form of palimpsest. Following this sprawling
network of waterways, the past and present overlap, converge and industrial legacies become
superimposed on the surface of a post-industrial landscape.
Creator
Mark Adams
Publisher
Contact Press (Self Published)
Date
2025
Format
saddle stitched, full colour, 21x14.5cm
Book Item Type Metadata
Dimensions
21x14.5cm
Number of Pages
36
Number of images
16
Edition Size
10
Place of Publication
Newcastle
Designer
Mark Adams
Editor
Mark Adams
Printer
Printed.com
ISBN
N/A
Website
www.markadamsimages.com
URL Link to project
https://www.markadamsimages.com/architecture-gallery#1
Where to buy
https://www.instagram.com/markadamsimages/
Links to reviews
Works from the project reviewed here
https://markadamsimages.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/review-solo-exhibition-in-art-monthly-april-issue/
https://markadamsimages.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/review-solo-exhibition-in-art-monthly-april-issue/
Citation
Mark Adams, “Waterways,” Photobook Cafe Photobook Collection, accessed February 21, 2026, https://www.photobookcafe-archive.co.uk/items/show/2000.