The plague pushed the English to live on water

Rachel Bruce and Chris Hall on their boat in the Oxford Canal last month
Andrew’s Test / Now

The low cost, the clean air, the serenity and the ability to hear the chirping of birds prompted many Englishmen to take to the boats – among kayaks and flocks of ducklings in the kingdom’s vast network of canals. “We felt like we were getting our lives back,” said a technical consultant who moved with his partner to live on the water.