A book has finally been published after 50 years.

‘Ulverston Canal: Its Ships, Ship Builders and Seamen.’ was released last week.

The book was written by Ulverston historian, Jennifer Snell.

Mrs Snell said: “It has taken me 50 years to write this book.

"It so specialised that I have tried to keep it light and interesting about all the history of all the ships that were launched on Ulverston canal.

“All in all there were about 200 actually launched at Ulverston.

“I have tried to trace as much as I can of the history of some of those ships, which is very interesting.

“For instance, there was the Commerce, which carried gunpowder for the local works, and it blew up in Walney Channel in 1825.

“As it blew up, the explosion was so strong that it was reported to have shattered windows in houses as far as Lancaster.”

Following the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Mrs Snell revealed that she used lockdown to finally write up all of her research.

She said: “This lockdown has given me time to think about writing the book and this is the outcome now in November."

The book is available at Suttons Bookshop, The Old Curiosity and by contacting Mrs Snell herself on 01229 585542.