Editing Glastonbury (section)

===Modern history===

By the middle of the 19th century the Glastonbury Canal drainage problems and competition from the new railways caused a decline in trade, and the town's economy became depressed.<ref name="gathercole" /> The canal was closed on 1 July 1854, and the lock and aqueducts on the upper section were dismantled. The railway opened on 17 August 1854.<ref name="body">G. Body and R. Gallop, (2001), ''The Glastonbury Canal'', Fiducia Press, {{ISBN|0-946217-08-4 }}</ref> The lower sections of the canal were given to the Commissioners for Sewers,<ref name="swdt">[http://www.somerset-waterways.org/somerset-waterways-water.html Somerset Waterways Development Trust] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705121844/http://www.somerset-waterways.org/somerset-waterways-water.html |date=5 July 2008 }}</ref> for use as a drainage ditch. The final section was retained to provide a wharf for the railway company, which was used until 1936, when it passed to the Commissioners of Sewers and was filled in.<ref name="body" /> The Central Somerset Railway merged with the [[Somerset and Dorset Railway#History|Dorset Central Railway]] to become the [[Somerset and Dorset Railway]].<ref>Handley, Chris, (2001). ''The Maritime Activities of the Somerset & Dorset Railway''. Bath: Millstream Books. {{ISBN|0-948975-63-6}}.</ref> The main line to Glastonbury closed in 1966.<ref name="body" />

In the Northover district industrial production of sheepskins, woollen [[slipper]]s and, later, [[boot]]s and shoes,<ref name="scott">{{cite book |title=The hidden places of Somerset |last=Scott |first=Shane |year=1995 |publisher=Travel Publishing Ltd |location=Aldermaston |isbn=1-902007-01-8 |page=82 }}</ref> developed in conjunction with the growth of [[C&J Clark]] in Street. Clarks still has its headquarters in Street, but shoes are no longer manufactured there. Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form [[Clarks Village]], the first purpose-built factory outlet in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |title=Street |url=http://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/explore-somerset/towns-and-villages/street-p500233 |publisher=Visit Somerset |access-date=6 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505091136/http://www.visitsomerset.co.uk/explore-somerset/towns-and-villages/street-p500233 |archive-date=5 May 2013 }}</ref>

During the 19th and 20th centuries tourism developed based on the rise of [[antiquarian]]ism, the association with the abbey and mysticism of the town.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bush |first=Robin |title=Somerset: The complete guide |year=1994 |publisher=Dovecote Press |isbn=1-874336-26-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/104 104–108] |url=https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/104 }}</ref> This was aided by accessibility via the rail and road network, which has continued to support the town's economy and led to a steady rise in resident population since 1801.<ref name="gathercole" />

Glastonbury received national media coverage in 1999 when [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] plants were found in the town's floral displays.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glastonbury.com/ |title=Glastonbury |publisher=Glastonbury.com |access-date=20 August 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509123551/http://www.glastonbury.com/ |archive-date=9 May 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/360351.stm |title=Hemp-lover in court over pot plants |date=3 June 1999 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |access-date=20 August 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728084342/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/360351.stm |archive-date=28 July 2011 }}</ref>