Wiltshire Tourist Guide - Articles
The Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is the most well known manmade Wiltshire waterway linking the river Avon in the west, Bath to the river Thames, Reading in the east.
The canal itself, excluding the two river navigations at either end, is 57 miles in length and enters West Wiltshire at Bradford on Avon and leaves through the tiny village of Little Bedwyn on the Berkshire border in the east.
The initial construction commenced in 1723 by rendering the river Kennet navigable between Reading and Newbury and similarly the river Avon navigable from Bristol to Bath in the west a few years later. In the latter half of the 18th century the route was decided through the heart of the Wiltshire countryside linking the two rivers thus providing a navigable link from the Severn Estuary in the west with the Thames Estuary in the east.
After an initial struggle raising the finances John Rennie was appointed the Chief Engineer. The canal proved to be his greatest work and he was responsible for the astonishing spectacle of the 29 Caen Hill locks at Devizes.
Disaster followed as money dried up. Investors pulled out and together with some financial chicanery and engineering difficulties all work was suspended at the turn of the century. The good news was that the link between Newbury and Hungerford was completed and in regular use.
Work slowed considerably after further financial and engineering difficulties but the final link from Devizes in the west and Hungerford in the east through the Pewsey Vale, Burbage and Great Bedwyn was completed in 1810. Barges could at long last travel the entire length of The Kennet and Avon Canal from the Severn to the Thames estuaries.
The arrival of the steam locomotive in the latter half of the 19th century spelt disaster for the canal. The Great Western Railway Company took over the canal and it was allowed to fall into disrepair. After nationalisation of the railways in the late1940’s the situation became even direr. By the 1950’s water had drained away from the canal, lock gates collapsed and the canal silted up.
The canal saviors came from an unexpected quarter. The Trust of volunteers was set up more than 40 years ago specifically to restore the canal. Thanks to this organization and its army of volunteers the canal has become what it is today, a haven of peace and tranquility accessible by barge, cycle or on foot Historical sites abound along the route, from the White Horse of Pewsey Vale to the working beam engine at Crofton pumping station to the windmill at Wilton.
There is a range of local bed and breakfast and pub accommodation close to the canal in the nearby villages and a good choice of hotels at the larger centres of Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Melksham, Devizes and Pewsey, all within easy reach of the canal.
The Kennet and Avon Canal
The canal itself, excluding the two river navigations at either end, is 57 miles in length and enters West Wiltshire at Bradford on Avon and leaves through the tiny village of Little Bedwyn on the Berkshire border in the east.
The initial construction commenced in 1723 by rendering the river Kennet navigable between Reading and Newbury and similarly the river Avon navigable from Bristol to Bath in the west a few years later. In the latter half of the 18th century the route was decided through the heart of the Wiltshire countryside linking the two rivers thus providing a navigable link from the Severn Estuary in the west with the Thames Estuary in the east.
After an initial struggle raising the finances John Rennie was appointed the Chief Engineer. The canal proved to be his greatest work and he was responsible for the astonishing spectacle of the 29 Caen Hill locks at Devizes.
Disaster followed as money dried up. Investors pulled out and together with some financial chicanery and engineering difficulties all work was suspended at the turn of the century. The good news was that the link between Newbury and Hungerford was completed and in regular use.
Work slowed considerably after further financial and engineering difficulties but the final link from Devizes in the west and Hungerford in the east through the Pewsey Vale, Burbage and Great Bedwyn was completed in 1810. Barges could at long last travel the entire length of The Kennet and Avon Canal from the Severn to the Thames estuaries.
The arrival of the steam locomotive in the latter half of the 19th century spelt disaster for the canal. The Great Western Railway Company took over the canal and it was allowed to fall into disrepair. After nationalisation of the railways in the late1940’s the situation became even direr. By the 1950’s water had drained away from the canal, lock gates collapsed and the canal silted up.
The canal saviors came from an unexpected quarter. The Trust of volunteers was set up more than 40 years ago specifically to restore the canal. Thanks to this organization and its army of volunteers the canal has become what it is today, a haven of peace and tranquility accessible by barge, cycle or on foot Historical sites abound along the route, from the White Horse of Pewsey Vale to the working beam engine at Crofton pumping station to the windmill at Wilton.
There is a range of local bed and breakfast and pub accommodation close to the canal in the nearby villages and a good choice of hotels at the larger centres of Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Melksham, Devizes and Pewsey, all within easy reach of the canal.
The Kennet and Avon Canal