This photograph shows the basin of the Montgomeryshire Canal at Welshpool, probably in the early 1900s.
It is looking south-west from the Severn Street bridge. The building on the right was the Hollybush wharf, which was once one of seventeen coal wharves on the canal.

The main trade of the working canal was limestone, which made a very good fertiliser when it was burned with coal. Limestone and coal were carried on the canal boats and delivered to the many lime kilns which were in use alongside the canal.
The waterway was also heavily used for exporting timber from the county.
You can see the waterwheel of an old corn mill just to the right of the lock gates at the centre of the picture.

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