On the subject of history, I thought it a good idea to look at historical maps of the site. Unfortunately the earliest available map was 1880, which does not predate the canal. However the series of maps does give a good idea of the changes in the area.
1880
1900
1910
1930
1950
1990
Sources:
http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/ancientroam/historic
http://digimap.edina.ac.uk/ancientroam/historic