On the older map, the Worcester Canal is not built yet. Two Canal companies met here at the Worcester Wharf and there was a bar between them that did not allow passage of boats for quite a while. So goods being forwarded had to be unloaded and passed over the bar and reloaded on boats on the far side. The canal waters were separate I believe and did not drain into each other back then. You want to hang on to your water level. I think this information was posted on this forum on 'the canals of birmingham' way back by Cromwell. New Hall St. actually led right to the New Hall. Baskerville was buried in a tomb in the garden of his house in a little temple I believe and had to be dug up when the Baskerville Wharfs were put in. It seems like the drive up to his house was kept but most of the premisses were built over by the look of the maps. Although there were riots and his place was burnt down also. There was a fairly long tunnel that led to these wharfs and a lock and pump system also. You can see the tunnel on one map. Actually there are wharf offshutes all over the place...everyone wanted door to door sevice I bet. The 'narrow' nature of the canals and boats made service easier. So whilst we did not have the grand canals...we had the little ones with smaller boats and perhaps by chance of not wanting to move more dirt than necessary...they were just right. There were over 2,500 miles of them mostly linked and still 2000miles today I believe. (might be 3000 my memory is not what it was). I think the weight of dirt moved would have been more than the weight 17 great pyramids. I made the calcs. one time on the back of an envelope...weell you know what happens to such things.
Too bad the Pharoes did not spend their time building canals...might have had a green dessert by now. Actually this brings to mind a TV program on the Raj in India. Seems we Brits thought canals would be good there too so they built some. However the inovation did not work too well...the stagnant water spread malaria apparently.