||This article needs additional citations for verification.
(October 2007)| In the context of British Inland Waterways,
"narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the
18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow
canals (where locks and bridge holes would have a maximum width
of at least 7 feet (2.1 m); some locks on the Shropshire Union
are even smaller). The term is extended to modern "narrowboats"
used for recreation and more and more as homes, whose design is
an interpretation of the old boats for modern purposes and
modern materials. Purists tend to write the term with a space
(narrow boat) when referring to an original (working) boat or a
replica, omitting the space when referring to modern canal boats
of around 7' beam and used for leisure including residence. The
single word 'narrowboat' has been adopted by authorities such as
the Canal and River Trust and the magazine Waterways World to
refer to all boats built in the style and tradition of the
narrow canal locks. A