115-698: The Wilts & Berks Canal is a canal in the historic counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire , England, linking the Kennet and Avon Canal at Semington near Melksham , to the River Thames at Abingdon . The North Wilts Canal merged with it to become a branch to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton near Cricklade . Among professional trades boatmen, the canal was nicknamed the Ippey Cut , possibly short for Chippenham . The 52-mile (84 km) canal
230-547: A caisson of water in which boats float while being moved between two levels; and inclined planes where a caisson is hauled up a steep railway. To cross a stream, road or valley (where the delay caused by a flight of locks at either side would be unacceptable) the valley can be spanned by a navigable aqueduct – a famous example in Wales is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site ) across
345-510: A drainage divide atop a ridge , generally requiring an external water source above the highest elevation . The best-known example of such a canal is the Panama Canal . Many canals have been built at elevations, above valleys and other waterways. Canals with sources of water at a higher level can deliver water to a destination such as a city where water is needed. The Roman Empire 's aqueducts were such water supply canals. The term
460-415: A "cistern", or depressed area just downstream from the fall, to "cushion" the water by providing a deep pool for its kinetic energy to be diffused in. Vertical falls work for drops of up to 1.5 m in height, and for discharge of up to 15 cubic meters per second. The transport capacity of pack animals and carts is limited. A mule can carry an eighth-ton [250 pounds (113 kg)] maximum load over
575-496: A canal has a series of dams and locks that create reservoirs of low speed current flow. These reservoirs are referred to as slack water levels , often just called levels . A canal can be called a navigation canal when it parallels a natural river and shares part of the latter's discharges and drainage basin , and leverages its resources by building dams and locks to increase and lengthen its stretches of slack water levels while staying in its valley . A canal can cut across
690-413: A combination of the three, depending on available water and available path: Smaller transportation canals can carry barges or narrowboats , while ship canals allow seagoing ships to travel to an inland port (e.g., Manchester Ship Canal ), or from one sea or ocean to another (e.g., Caledonian Canal , Panama Canal ). At their simplest, canals consist of a trench filled with water. Depending on
805-549: A dividend to shareholders in 1812, but decided to forego any further payments until debts had been repaid, improvements made, and issues with water supply resolved. This was achieved by 1831, when dividend payments resumed. A total of £7,000 in dividends was paid in 1837, which only represented a return of about two per cent for the shareholders. Other major outgoings were repayments to the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners , for money borrowed to finance
920-647: A feeder from the Ashbury Brook, but this had caused consternation among landowners, and the Act was passed to prevent them extracting water from the Beckett Estate at Shrivenham, and to ensure that the feeder was filled in. A third act, the Wilts. and Berks. Canal Navigation Act 1815 ( 55 Geo. 3 . c. vi), was passed in 1815 to allow the company to raise £100,000, which they used to pay off debts collected during
1035-549: A journey measured in days and weeks, though much more for shorter distances and periods with appropriate rest. Besides, carts need roads. Transport over water is much more efficient and cost-effective for large cargoes. The oldest known canals were irrigation canals, built in Mesopotamia c. 4000 BC , in what is now Iraq . The Indus Valley civilization of ancient India ( c. 3000 BC ) had sophisticated irrigation and storage systems developed, including
1150-512: A junction with the Thames and Severn at Kempsford and Wantage , passing through Highworth near Swindon and Longcot . At Wantage, it would split into two, with one branch going to Abingdon and the other to Wallingford , further downstream on the Thames. The Kennet and Avon Canal had also surveyed a route through Calne and Chippenham , which had been discarded in favour of the route through Bradford-on-Avon and Devizes . A meeting to promote
1265-540: A new lock and length of canal was completed in 2009. A second length of canal known as the Rushey Platt section, restored in the 1990s, is part of the canalside development. It runs southwards from Cross Kingshill Road, part of the A4289 near the centre of Swindon, to a Waitrose supermarket and a waterways-themed pub, the interior of which was designed by the archaeologist Mark Horton . In addition to building housing and
SECTION 10
#17327768621211380-581: A rather low gradient for its time. The canal is still in use after renovation. In the Middle Ages , water transport was several times cheaper and faster than transport overland. Overland transport by animal drawn conveyances was used around settled areas, but unimproved roads required pack animal trains, usually of mules to carry any degree of mass, and while a mule could carry an eighth ton, it also needed teamsters to tend it and one man could only tend perhaps five mules, meaning overland bulk transport
1495-468: A sewage pipe crossing the waterway, which was re-routed below the canal in 1988 by Wessex Water . The pound was extended to 1 mile (1.6 km) and another trail boat festival in 1988 was attended by 50 boats. East of here, after a short unrestored section where the towpath is a public right of way but the canal bed is owned by a farmer, the Studley Grange section was opened in 2018 after agreement
1610-616: A shortfall of £85,199. They could not use the powers of the 1795 Act to borrow money until all of the original shares had been bought, and so another Act of Parliament , the Wilts. and Berks. Canal Act 1801 ( 41 Geo. 3. (U.K.) c. lxviii), was obtained allowing the company to raise a further £200,000 from shares to complete the canal. Having failed to sell all the £100 shares, new shares were issued at steadily decreasing values, to attract new classes of investors. The shares were issued at £65, £60, £40, £25 and finally £12 10 s . A total of 7,436 shares were eventually sold, raising £224,393. This
1725-476: A small number of clauses concerning money, and a much more important clause altering conditions for the carriage of coal on the River Thames. When the 1795 Act was passed, there had been opposition from merchants who brought coal by sea to London, and they had instigated a clause in the Act banning the carriage of coal which had been conveyed by canal boats below Reading . The new Act repealed this ban, moving
1840-459: A uniform altitude. Other, generally later, canals took more direct routes requiring the use of various methods to deal with the change in level. Canals have various features to tackle the problem of water supply. In cases, like the Suez Canal, the canal is open to the sea. Where the canal is not at sea level, a number of approaches have been adopted. Taking water from existing rivers or springs
1955-399: A weekend of work, and they cleared nearly two miles of canal bed near Wantage , raising local awareness of plans for the canal. One of the first sections to be rewatered was at Templars Firs on the southern edge of Royal Wootton Bassett, where a 0.75-mile (1.2 km) section was restored in 1995; the reopened section was used for a trail boat festival in 1996. Further progress was hampered by
2070-422: Is a channel that cuts across a drainage divide , making a navigable channel connecting two different drainage basins . Both navigations and canals use engineered structures to improve navigation: Since they cut across drainage divides, canals are more difficult to construct and often need additional improvements, like viaducts and aqueducts to bridge waters over streams and roads, and ways to keep water in
2185-555: Is a complete list of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain for the year 1795 . For acts passed until 1707, see the list of acts of the Parliament of England and the list of acts of the Parliament of Scotland . See also the list of acts of the Parliament of Ireland . For acts passed from 1801 onwards, see the list of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom . For acts of the devolved parliaments and assemblies in
2300-701: Is presumed, introduced in Italy by Bertola da Novate in the 16th century. This allowed wider gates and also removed the height restriction of guillotine locks . To break out of the limitations caused by river valleys, the first summit level canals were developed with the Grand Canal of China in 581–617 AD whilst in Europe the first, also using single locks, was the Stecknitz Canal in Germany in 1398. In
2415-599: Is rarely less than 30 metres (98 ft) wide. In the 5th century BC, Achaemenid king Xerxes I of Persia ordered the construction of the Xerxes Canal through the base of Mount Athos peninsula, Chalkidiki , northern Greece. It was constructed as part of his preparations for the Second Persian invasion of Greece , a part of the Greco-Persian Wars . It is one of the few monuments left by
SECTION 20
#17327768621212530-462: Is required to prevent the growth of weeds. In January 2008 Swindon Council considered a report, prepared by their consultants, on the feasibility and implications of restoring the town centre route. They endorsed the proposal, and set up a task group to make further progress. There was concern in south Oxfordshire about the risk of flooding, and it can be argued that the canal will act as a drainage system, helping to take excess water and move it away to
2645-574: Is some controversy about the restoration of the canal, in particular the felling of trees and the corresponding short-term disruption of wildlife habitats that have evolved in the 100 or so years since the canal was abandoned, and this has been addressed in the North Wiltshire Local Plan. For the Melksham link, planning documents indicate that there will be a net gain in habitat, including standing water, marginal wetland habitat and
2760-418: Is steeper than the desired canal gradient. They are constructed so the falling water's kinetic energy is dissipated in order to prevent it from scouring the bed and sides of the canal. A canal fall is constructed by cut and fill . It may be combined with a regulator, bridge, or other structure to save costs. There are various types of canal falls, based on their shape. One type is the ogee fall, where
2875-452: Is the pound lock , which consists of a chamber within which the water level can be raised or lowered connecting either two pieces of canal at a different level or the canal with a river or the sea. When there is a hill to be climbed, flights of many locks in short succession may be used. Prior to the development of the pound lock in 984 AD in China by Chhaio Wei-Yo and later in Europe in
2990-597: The Aire and Calder Canal – but they found them too difficult to manage, and narrow boats continued to be used. The new group failed to make a profit and in 1887 forfeited their lease. The 1876 company made another attempt at operating the canal. Another group, the United Commercial Syndicate, took over the canal in 1891, and by 1896 had spent £16,000 putting the canal back into order. They decided that it could not be made profitable, and with support from
3105-491: The City coal limits to Staines, despite serious opposition from ship owners and the proprietors of collieries in the north-east of England. The Wilts. and Berks. Canal Navigation Act 1813 ( 53 Geo. 3 . c. cxx), sought to resolve issues with water supply. When the canal opened, the main water supply was a deep well near Swindon, but this could not supply sufficient water for the canal's operation. The proprietors had constructed
3220-658: The Elbe , Oder and Weser being linked by canals. In post-Roman Britain, the first early modern period canal built appears to have been the Exeter Canal , which was surveyed in 1563, and open in 1566. The oldest canal in the European settlements of North America, technically a mill race built for industrial purposes, is Mother Brook between the Boston, Massachusetts neighbourhoods of Dedham and Hyde Park connecting
3335-543: The Naviglio Grande built between 1127 and 1257 to connect Milan with the river Ticino . The Naviglio Grande is the most important of the lombard " navigli " and the oldest functioning canal in Europe. Later, canals were built in the Netherlands and Flanders to drain the polders and assist transportation of goods and people. Canal building was revived in this age because of commercial expansion from
3450-545: The Phoenix metropolitan area was the most complex in ancient North America. A portion of the ancient canals has been renovated for the Salt River Project and now helps to supply the city's water. The Sinhalese constructed the 87 km (54 mi) Yodha Ela in 459 A.D. as a part of their extensive irrigation network which functioned in a way of a moving reservoir due to its single banking aspect to manage
3565-819: The Radstock and Paulton mines in the Somerset coalfield by way of the Somersetshire Coal Canal , which joined the Kennet and Avon Canal near the Dundas Aqueduct . In 1837, 43,642 long tons (44,342 tonnes) of coal were transported via the Wilts & Berks from the Somerset coalfield, with 10,669 long tons (10,840 tonnes) being handled at Abingdon wharf. The Wilts & Berks thus became a link in
Wilts & Berks Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
3680-528: The River Brue at Northover with Glastonbury Abbey , a distance of about 1.75 kilometres (1,900 yd). Its initial purpose is believed to be the transport of building stone for the abbey, but later it was used for delivering produce, including grain, wine and fish, from the abbey's outlying properties. It remained in use until at least the 14th century, but possibly as late as the mid-16th century. More lasting and of more economic impact were canals like
3795-614: The Songhai Empire of West Africa, several canals were constructed under Sunni Ali and Askia Muhammad I between Kabara and Timbuktu in the 15th century. These were used primarily for irrigation and transport. Sunni Ali also attempted to construct a canal from the Niger River to Walata to facilitate conquest of the city but his progress was halted when he went to war with the Mossi Kingdoms . Around 1500–1800
3910-556: The reservoirs built at Girnar in 3000 BC. This is the first time that such planned civil project had taken place in the ancient world. In Egypt , canals date back at least to the time of Pepi I Meryre (reigned 2332–2283 BC), who ordered a canal built to bypass the cataract on the Nile near Aswan . In ancient China , large canals for river transport were established as far back as the Spring and Autumn period (8th–5th centuries BC),
4025-404: The stratum the canal passes through, it may be necessary to line the cut with some form of watertight material such as clay or concrete. When this is done with clay, it is known as puddling . Canals need to be level, and while small irregularities in the lie of the land can be dealt with through cuttings and embankments, for larger deviations other approaches have been adopted. The most common
4140-471: The 12th century. River navigations were improved progressively by the use of single, or flash locks . Taking boats through these used large amounts of water leading to conflicts with watermill owners and to correct this, the pound or chamber lock first appeared, in the 10th century in China and in Europe in 1373 in Vreeswijk , Netherlands. Another important development was the mitre gate , which was, it
4255-472: The 15th century, either flash locks consisting of a single gate were used or ramps, sometimes equipped with rollers, were used to change the level. Flash locks were only practical where there was plenty of water available. Locks use a lot of water, so builders have adopted other approaches for situations where little water is available. These include boat lifts , such as the Falkirk Wheel , which use
4370-682: The A38 road from Highways England , the Partnership applied to Highways England, and were awarded £42,000 for a Stage 1 feasibility study. They were hopeful that this would lead to full funding for a new bridge under the motorway further to the west, to link up with the Studley Grange section, but were notified in November 2022 that they had not been awarded a Stage 2 grant of £870,000 to fund a detailed feasibility study and planning permission application. Swindon are also hoping to build further houses to
4485-513: The Amenity Group therefore changed, from limited conservation to full restoration of the canal. The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust was formed in 1997 as a partnership between the Amenity Group and the district and county councils covering the route of the canal, namely the district councils of North Wilts , West Wilts and Vale of White Horse , the county councils of Oxfordshire and Wiltshire , and Swindon Borough Council . The aims of
4600-636: The Board of Trade resulted in the proposal being withdrawn. In 1901, one arch of Stanley Aqueduct, which carried the canal over the River Marden , collapsed, severing the canal. Swindon Corporation attempted to obtain an act to cut off the water supply to Coate Reservoir in 1904, but this failed. There was no traffic on the canal after 1906, and Swindon finally obtained an act to close the canal in 1914. The Swindon Corporation (Wilts and Berks Canal Abandonment) Act 1914 ( 4 & 5 Geo. 5 . c. cviii) enabled
4715-601: The Calne branch. There were three short tunnels. Before the canal was completed, the proprietors were already thinking about how the canal could become part of a larger network. In 1809, they proposed a Western Junction canal, which would have crossed the Thames on an aqueduct and continued for a further 36.5 miles (58.7 km) by way of Thame and Aylesbury to join the Grand Junction Canal at Marsworth . Both canal companies agreed to contribute £100,000 to fund
Wilts & Berks Canal - Misplaced Pages Continue
4830-683: The Oxford Canal. A Central Junction Canal was the next proposal, running over 59 miles (95 km) from Abingdon to the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal . John Rennie oversaw a survey of its route, and the cost was estimated at £470,000, but no further action ensued when there was opposition from the Grand Junction Canal, the Oxford Canal and the Warwick and Napton Canal. Throughout construction of their own canal,
4945-590: The Persian Empire in Europe . Greek engineers were also among the first to use canal locks , by which they regulated the water flow in the Ancient Suez Canal as early as the 3rd century BC. There was little experience moving bulk loads by carts, while a pack-horse would [i.e. 'could'] carry only an eighth of a ton. On a soft road a horse might be able to draw 5/8ths of a ton. But if
5060-413: The River Thames and a small tunnel near Crichlade. Having borrowed £!5,000 from the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners to help finance its constuction, the company could not meet Government demands for repayment of that loan, and after only two years of independence, proposed that it should merge with the Wilts & Berks, whose shareholders had also contributed £15,000 to its construction costs. The merger
5175-785: The Southwest by 1300 CE. Archaeologists working at a major archaeological dig in the 1990s in the Tucson Basin, along the Santa Cruz River, identified a culture and people that may have been the ancestors of the Hohokam. This prehistoric group occupied southern Arizona as early as 2000 BCE, and in the Early Agricultural period grew corn, lived year-round in sedentary villages, and developed sophisticated irrigation canals. The large-scale Hohokam irrigation network in
5290-552: The Swindon Traders Association, who thought the canal was an eyesore, attempted to abandon it. The Thames and Severn Canal were keen to take over the North Wilts branch, to allow them to access Swindon. There was opposition from landowners for whom the canal supplied water for cattle, and the abandonment failed on a technicality. A second attempt at abandonment was made in 1900, but an enquiry at Swindon by
5405-500: The Thames at Abingdon, was submitted to Parliament. It faced opposition from the city of Oxford , who maintained that trade on the Thames above Abingdon and to the city would be considerably damaged, but despite their stance, the bill passed into law on 30 April 1795, when the Abingdon to Trowbridge Canal Act 1795 ( 35 Geo. 3 . c. 52) received royal assent. The length of the canal was initially 55.25 miles (88.9 km), but provision
5520-823: The Thames. The Environment Agency expressed concerns about the proposed route of the canal at Melksham, and its effect on the floodplain, and there were calls from local landowners to ensure that a town-centre route was re-established. Download coordinates as: Download coordinates as: 51°32′56″N 1°48′18″W / 51.549°N 1.805°W / 51.549; -1.805 ( Wilts & Berks Canal (mid point) ) Canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation ) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi ). They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure , and can be thought of as artificial rivers . In most cases,
5635-578: The United Kingdom, see the list of acts of the Scottish Parliament , the list of acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly , and the list of acts and measures of Senedd Cymru ; see also the list of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . The number shown after each act's title is its chapter number. Acts are cited using this number, preceded by the year(s) of the reign during which the relevant parliamentary session
5750-408: The Wilts & Berks Canal Amenity Group was formed to protect what remained of the canal, and to restore short sections for their amenity value. Their first projects included the clearing of sections at Kingshill, Shrivenham , Dauntsey and Wootton Bassett . Between 1977 and 1987, there was a significant increase in public awareness of derelict canals and enthusiasm for their restoration. The aims of
5865-537: The Wilts & Berks company had considered a link to the Thames and Severn Canal , and in 1810 they wrote to the Thames and Severn to say that William Whitworth had surveyed a route from Wootton Bassett to Yeoing (now known as Ewen ), near Kemble in Gloucestershire. The project, named the Severn Junction Canal, was altered to run from Swindon to Latton junction on the Thames and Severn, and
SECTION 50
#17327768621215980-451: The Wilts & Berks was thus reduced to 51 miles (82 km). As well as the main line, the Act authorised three branch canals, to Calne, Chippenham and Wantage. It allowed the company to raise £111,900 through 1,119 shares at a cost of £100 each for the construction of the canal, with powers to raise an extra £150,000 if required. Although the plans submitted to Parliament had been signed by both Robert Whitworth Snr. and his son William,
6095-445: The Wilts and Berks, increasing the cost of coal carried on the canal. The company failed to interest the railway in buying the canal, and decided to close it. Despite the decline, a group of shareholders were optimistic that matters could improve, and called a meeting on 4 September 1874. The meeting decided that closure was the best option, and drew up a bill in November to close or sell the canal. Bristol Chamber of Commerce objected to
6210-486: The canal have been rewatered. The official name of the canal is the "Wilts & Berks Canal" as cited in the local acts of Parliament that authorised its building and abandonment. The "Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal" is incorrect. Neither is it correct to refer to the "North Wilts Canal" as the "North Wiltshire Canal". The canal's original name is retained for historical reasons despite local council boundary changes in 1973 that transferred part of Berkshire through which
6325-491: The canal passes (mostly the Vale of White Horse ) to Oxfordshire . The idea for the Wilts & Berks Canal grew from a proposal to construct a canal between Lechlade on the Thames and Severn Canal and Abingdon-on-Thames on the River Thames . A meeting was held at Abingdon in 1784, and the proposal gained support among local landowners. Subsequently, Frederick Page suggested a canal suitable for Thames barges to run between
6440-436: The canal pressure with the influx of water. It was also designed as an elongated reservoir passing through traps creating 66 mini catchments as it flows from Kala Wewa to Thissa Wawa . The canal was not designed for the quick conveying of water from Kala Wewa to Thissa Wawa but to create a mass of water between the two reservoirs, which would in turn provided for agriculture and the use of humans and animals. They also achieved
6555-418: The canal to form a dam. They are generally placed in pre-existing grooves in the canal bank. On more modern canals, "guard locks" or gates were sometimes placed to allow a section of the canal to be quickly closed off, either for maintenance, or to prevent a major loss of water due to a canal breach. A canal fall , or canal drop, is a vertical drop in the canal bed. These are built when the natural ground slope
6670-551: The canal, the developers by 2024 had planted 376 trees in urban streets and 34,336 in open areas. They had also installed 307 bird boxes and 89 bat boxes. There were problems with leakage on the East Wichel section, which were largely resolved in 2022, but work was ongoing in 2023 to locate the final leaks. Planning permission for further development in Middle Wichel and West Wichel was granted in late 2022. This included
6785-462: The canal. Where large amounts of goods are loaded or unloaded such as at the end of a canal, a canal basin may be built. This would normally be a section of water wider than the general canal. In some cases, the canal basins contain wharfs and cranes to assist with movement of goods. When a section of the canal needs to be sealed off so it can be drained for maintenance stop planks are frequently used. These consist of planks of wood placed across
6900-609: The chain of canals providing a transport route between the West Country and the Midlands . Water supply was always a problem and a reservoir was constructed near Swindon to supply the canal, now known as Coate Water . From the reservoir, a feeder meandered northwards and eastwards, to feed water into the canal near Marston Locks. Income from tolls rose from £5,523 for the first year of operation to £12,877 in 1837, after which they were affected by railway building. The company paid
7015-469: The channel. There are two broad types of canal: Historically, canals were of immense importance to commerce and the development, growth and vitality of a civilization. In 1855 the Lehigh Canal carried over 1.2 million tons of anthracite coal; by the 1930s the company which built and operated it for over a century ceased operation. The few canals still in operation in our modern age are a fraction of
SECTION 60
#17327768621217130-543: The construction of another length of canal, to join the Rushey Platt and East Wichel sections. It will include a swing bridge to carry the towpath from the west side of the Rushey Platt section to the north side of the section to East Wichel. Progress southwards from the swing bridge junction is blocked by the M4 motorway, but spurred on by the award of £4 million to the Stroudwater Navigation for two bridges under
7245-502: The construction of the North Wilts Canal. The final payment was made in 1839. Income rose significantly after 1838, as they canal carried materials for building railways, but decreased again from 1842 onwards. The company used the unexpected windfall to build hoses, buy a wharf at Oxford, construct Tockenham Reservoir, pay off loans, and retained the rest as reserves. Although the canal company had initially been dismissive of
7360-413: The construction of the canal and to construct a reservoir. The Act also allowed them to invest in the North Wilts Canal. Outgoing traffic consisted of corn and agricultural products, collected from the rural communities bordering the canal and taken westwards to Bristol and Bath via the Kennet and Avon Canal. This amounted to 11,740 long tons (11,930 tonnes) in 1843. In the reverse direction, coal came from
7475-448: The corporation to take over Coate Reservoir, now known as Coate Water , for recreational purposes, as it had been used for recreation since the 1870s, and they also obtained land for public purposes. They paid £8,000 to the canal company, who also sold what land they could to meet their debts. From the early 1930s, much of the canal was filled in and generally used for dumping rubbish. Chippenham Wharf, once home to Brinkworth's Coal Depot,
7590-506: The day-to-day supervision of the project. Work started at the westen end, in the hope that once the canal reached Chippenham and Calne, they could generate revenue from the transport of coal, although this depended on the Somerset Coal Canal and the western end of the Kennet and Avon being completed. There were problems with cash flow, as the sale of shares had only raised £61,512 by 1801, all of which had been spent, leaving
7705-399: The drop follows an s-shaped curve to create a smooth transition and reduce turbulence . However, this smooth transition does not dissipate the water's kinetic energy, which leads to heavy scouring. As a result, the canal needs to be reinforced with concrete or masonry to protect it from eroding. Another type of canal fall is the vertical fall, which is "simple and economical". These feature
7820-473: The east of the town, in a development called the New Eastern Villages . The planned new route of the canal runs through the development area, and it is probable that creation of further sections of the canal will be included in the project. Elsewhere, in the early 1990s, the Wilts and Berks Canal Company was formed and bought two miles of the canal spanning Dauntsey Lock . Their primary objective
7935-473: The final lock into the Thames at 2:30pm, who then departed to the Council Chamber for a celebration that went on late into the evening. The final cost of the project was £255,262. The main canal was 51 miles (82 km) long, with branches totalling a little over 6 miles (10 km) to Chippenham, Calne , Wantage and Longcot . Although initial plans were for a canal suitable for Thames barges, it
8050-521: The first session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are both cited as "41 Geo. 3". Acts passed by the Parliament of Great Britain did not have a short title ; however, some of these acts have subsequently been given a short title by acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (such as the Short Titles Act 1896 ). The fifth session of the 17th Parliament of Great Britain , which met from 30 December 1794 until 27 June 1795. This session
8165-670: The first summit level canal to use pound locks in Europe was the Briare Canal connecting the Loire and Seine (1642), followed by the more ambitious Canal du Midi (1683) connecting the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. This included a staircase of 8 locks at Béziers , a 157 metres (515 ft) tunnel, and three major aqueducts. Canal building progressed steadily in Germany in the 17th and 18th centuries with three great rivers,
8280-571: The former route. Following closure, large sections of the route have passed into private ownership with no rights of public access. Since 1988, the trust have worked on restoring small sections of the route as access has become available, or permissive access has been granted by landowners. A significant event was the organisation of a "Big Dig" in 1991 by the Waterway Recovery Group to celebrate their twenty-first year of involvement in canal restoration. Over 1,000 navvies arrived for
8395-462: The freedom to make deliveries well away from rail lined road beds or ditches in the dirt which could not operate in the winter. The longest extant canal today, the Grand Canal in northern China, still remains in heavy use, especially the portion south of the Yellow River . It stretches from Beijing to Hangzhou at 1,794 kilometres (1,115 miles). Canals are built in one of three ways, or
8510-701: The higher waters of the Charles River and the mouth of the Neponset River and the sea. It was constructed in 1639 to provide water power for mills. In Russia, the Volga–Baltic Waterway , a nationwide canal system connecting the Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea via the Neva and Volga rivers, was opened in 1718. 35 Geo. 3 Interregnum (1642–1660) Rescinded (1639–1651) This
8625-448: The ideas was held at Swindon on 12 November 1793, but presentation of a bill to Parliament was postponed until the plans were more mature. James Black, representing the Thames and Severn Canal, asked William Whitworth the engineer for his canal to survey the route, including a link to his canal. By 22 February 1794, plans were sufficiently advanced that they were approved by a committee meeting at Swindon. The Earl of Peterborough chaired
8740-549: The load were carried by a barge on a waterway, then up to 30 tons could be drawn by the same horse. — technology historian Ronald W. Clark referring to transport realities before the industrial revolution and the Canal age . Hohokam was a society in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona , United States, and Sonora , Mexico. Their irrigation systems supported the largest population in
8855-591: The local authority areas through which the canal runs. While much of the line of the canal is still traceable in the rural areas, significant sections of it have been built over where it passed through towns. With all of the local authorities participating in the Wiltshire, Swindon and Oxfordshire Canal Partnership, the "line" of the canal has been preserved in Local Development Plans, ensuring that no new building or development should take place on
8970-480: The longest canal in the world today and the oldest extant one. It is 1,794 kilometres (1,115 mi) long and was built to carry the Emperor Yang Guang between Zhuodu ( Beijing ) and Yuhang ( Hangzhou ). The project began in 605 and was completed in 609, although much of the work combined older canals, the oldest section of the canal existing since at least 486 BC. Even in its narrowest urban sections it
9085-534: The longest one of that period being the Hong Gou (Canal of the Wild Geese), which according to the ancient historian Sima Qian connected the old states of Song, Zhang, Chen, Cai, Cao, and Wei. The Caoyun System of canals was essential for imperial taxation, which was largely assessed in kind and involved enormous shipments of rice and other grains. By far the longest canal was the Grand Canal of China , still
9200-450: The main line ran eastwards towards Shrivenham. The route to the east has been built over, and a new route which runs parallel to the M4 motorway along the southern edge of Swindon and then turns northwards along its eastern edge has been proposed. The council have found a route for the North Wilts branch which runs close to or re-uses the original route. In 2007, a feasibility study suggested that
9315-417: The meeting, which also heard that agreement had been reached with the Kennet and Avon Canal, although the junction with the Thames was still not finalised. By the meeting held on 16 May, Abingdon had been chosen as the connection to the Thames. A bill for a canal from Trowbridge on the Kennet and Avon Canal, running through Melksham, Dauntsey, Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Shrivenham, and Charlow to terminate on
9430-506: The numbers that once fueled and enabled economic growth, indeed were practically a prerequisite to further urbanization and industrialization. For the movement of bulk raw materials such as coal and ores are difficult and marginally affordable without water transport. Such raw materials fueled the industrial developments and new metallurgy resulting of the spiral of increasing mechanization during 17th–20th century, leading to new research disciplines, new industries and economies of scale, raising
9545-401: The opening of Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway , which affected traffic on the western half of the canal. Traffic on the North Wilts branch also declined. A final dividend of £561 was paid in 1870, and in 1873 the canal made a loss; by that time all traffic to the east of Wantage had ceased. The Great Western Railway owned the Kennet and Avon Canal, and increased tolls for traffic to and from
9660-444: The planting of new lengths of hedgerow. Where trees have to be removed, new trees will be planted to replace them. Objections to a canal route through Swindon town centre prior to 2010 were believed to arise from a misconception that canals contained "stagnant water". However canals are permanently moving water slowly downstream, and are thus not stagnant. The passage of boats keeps the water stirred up making it muddy-looking, but this
9775-604: The pre-railroad days of the industrial revolution, water transport was the gold standard of fast transportation. The first artificial canal in Western Europe was the Fossa Carolina built at the end of the 8th century under personal supervision of Charlemagne . In Britain, the Glastonbury Canal is believed to be the first post-Roman canal and was built in the middle of the 10th century to link
9890-662: The project, but opposition from the Thames Commissioners, the Kennet and Avon Canal, the Oxford Canal and the Warwick and Napton Canal resulted in the bill being defeated in Parliament on 25 February 1811. A branch from the Grand Junction to Aylesbury was completed in 1815, and the two canals looked again at completing the link between Aylesbury and Abingdon in 1813 and 1817. They made a joint survey for
10005-422: The proposal to construct a canal through Swindon would cost £50m. Despite some objections, Swindon Borough Council gave approval in 2008 for further investigation of the scheme. The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group also welcomed the project "as a key element in transforming Swindon's town centre into a leisure and visitor attraction, disposing of its dreary reputation." 750 acres (300 ha) of land between
10120-516: The proposal, and in late 1875 seven merchants formed a new company to buy the canal. The Wilts & Berks Canal Co Ltd obtained an Act of Parliament in June 1876, and paid £13,466 for the canal. They took control in early 1877, but in 1882 leased the canal to another group of merchants from Bristol for £1,250 per year. They experimented with sectional boats – similar to the Tom Pudding boats used on
10235-639: The route has been lost to housing, Melksham Town Council agreed in 2012 to support plans to route the canal through the River Avon in the centre of town, involving construction of 2 miles (3.2 km) of new waterway, with a towpath and cycleway which would create recreational opportunities. The plans were submitted to Wiltshire Council in August 2012, but the Trust were required to produce supporting documentation. The environmental statement ran to 350,000 words and
10350-403: The route in 1819, and the plan was reconsidered in 1828, but no further action occurred. Their next plan was for a Bristol Junction Canal in 1810, running from Wootton Bassett via the Gloucestershire coalfield to Bristol. An initial survey was made by William Whitworth, and a bill presented to Parliament in 1811, but it was withdrawn amidst opposition from the Thames Commissioners, landowners and
10465-480: The standard of living for any industrialized society. Most ship canals today primarily service bulk cargo and large ship transportation industries, whereas the once critical smaller inland waterways conceived and engineered as boat and barge canals have largely been supplanted and filled in, abandoned and left to deteriorate, or kept in service and staffed by state employees, where dams and locks are maintained for flood control or pleasure boating. Their replacement
10580-609: The threat from railway competition, and had benefitted from carrying materials for its construction, the Great Western Railway ran close to the canal from Abingdon to Swindon and Chippenham. When the railway opened in 1841, traffic fell sharply, apart from coal from the Somerset Coal Canal. Coal traffic on the western end of the canal rose between 1837 and 1847, but declined on the canal to the east of Swindon. Further rail competition occurred from 1848 with
10695-483: The town and the M4 motorway were designated as the site of a new housing development in 2006, and the project to build some 4,500 homes to be known collectively as Wichelstowe is a joint venture between the Council, Barrett Homes and David Wilson Homes. The architect for the whole scheme was John Simpson, who also worked on Poundbury near Dorchester . The first stage at East Wichel, providing some 800 houses as well as
10810-519: The town. On 26 May 2009, Double Bridge and a short section of rewatered canal to the south of Pewsham was officially opened by the Trust's patron, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall . With a grant from the Gannett Foundation and voluntary labour, working parties extended this section to the foot of Pewsham Locks in 2012. At Swindon the canal used to run northwards to the town centre, where the North Wilts Canal continued running northwards and
10925-442: The trust were to protect, conserve and improve the canal and its branches, with the ultimate aim of restoring the whole canal to navigable status. However, the legal structure of the group was unsuitable for accessing some of the grants available for canal restoration, and so it was reformed into the Wilts & Berks Canal Partnership in 2001. In 2012 it was renamed as The Wiltshire, Swindon and Oxfordshire Canal Partnership, to reflect
11040-573: The valley of the River Dee . Another option for dealing with hills is to tunnel through them. An example of this approach is the Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent and Mersey Canal . Tunnels are only practical for smaller canals. Some canals attempted to keep changes in level down to a minimum. These canals known as contour canals would take longer, winding routes, along which the land was
11155-529: The younger Whitworth worked with John Ralph on costings for the work. This was estimated at £103,603 for the original main line and £8,350 for the branches. Robert Whitworth was contracted as engineer for the construction, on a similar basis as he had worked for the Ashby Canal . He would be responsible for design work and setting out, and would arrange to be on site for around three months each year. His son William would be on site as resident engineer, handling
11270-466: Was also expensive, as men expect compensation in the form of wages, room and board. This was because long-haul roads were unpaved, more often than not too narrow for carts, much less wagons, and in poor condition, wending their way through forests, marshy or muddy quagmires as often as unimproved but dry footing. In that era, as today, greater cargoes, especially bulk goods and raw materials , could be transported by ship far more economically than by land; in
11385-458: Was an option in some cases, sometimes supplemented by other methods to deal with seasonal variations in flow. Where such sources were unavailable, reservoirs – either separate from the canal or built into its course – and back pumping were used to provide the required water. In other cases, water pumped from mines was used to feed the canal. In certain cases, extensive "feeder canals" were built to bring water from sources located far from
11500-621: Was authorised by the passing of the Wilts. and Berks. Canal Navigation Act 1821 ( 2 Geo. 4 . c. xcvii). The Wilts & Berks took over the debt with the Exchequer Bill Loan Commission, North Wilts shareholders received £100 shares in the parent company for their existing shares, and the act also consolidated all of the previous legislation for both companies, with earlier acts being repealed. Following completion, further acts were obtained. The Wilts. and Berks. Canal Act 1810 ( 50 Geo. 3 . c. cxlviii) contained
11615-411: Was completed. The cut initially runs for about 150 yards (140 m) to a winding hole , but will eventually link to the historic route of the canal to the west of Abingdon. Final decisions on the route in this area have not been made, pending a decision on whether or not a new water-supply reservoir will be built near Abingdon, which would cover further sections of the original route to the south west of
11730-420: Was cut as a narrow canal to take narrowboats 72 feet (22 m) long and 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. From Semington, the canal passed through 24 locks , which raised the level by 189 feet 3 inches (57.7 m) to the summit pound between Wootton Bassett and South Marston. A further 18 locks enabled the canal to descend 163 feet 9 inches (49.9 m) to Abingdon. There were also three locks on
11845-470: Was gradual, beginning first in the United States in the mid-1850s where canal shipping was first augmented by, then began being replaced by using much faster , less geographically constrained & limited, and generally cheaper to maintain railways . By the early 1880s, canals which had little ability to economically compete with rail transport, were off the map. In the next couple of decades, coal
11960-478: Was held; thus the Union with Ireland Act 1800 is cited as "39 & 40 Geo. 3. c. 67", meaning the 67th act passed during the session that started in the 39th year of the reign of George III and which finished in the 40th year of that reign. Note that the modern convention is to use Arabic numerals in citations (thus "41 Geo. 3" rather than "41 Geo. III"). Acts of the last session of the Parliament of Great Britain and
12075-424: Was increasingly diminished as the heating fuel of choice by oil, and growth of coal shipments leveled off. Later, after World War I when motor-trucks came into their own, the last small U.S. barge canals saw a steady decline in cargo ton-miles alongside many railways, the flexibility and steep slope climbing capability of lorries taking over cargo hauling increasingly as road networks were improved, and which also had
12190-530: Was made for developments at the Trowbridge end. The Kennet and Avon Canal were proposing to alter their route, and the Act allowed the proprietors to give the section from Trowbridge to Semington to the Kennet and Avon Company if their new route was authorised within three years and built within seven. The deviation was authorised, and the Kennet and Avon built the length from Trowbridge to Semington, from where their main line continued on to Devizes. The length of
12305-509: Was not, and the canal opened in stages as it was finished. Swindon was reached in June 1804, South Marston in July 1805, and it opened to near Longcot in December 1805. A branch to Longcot was constructed in 1807, although it was not authorised, and this was resolved by an addition to an act obtained in 1835. Abingdon was reached on 22 September 1810. A boat carrying the proprietors passed through
12420-426: Was once used to describe linear features seen on the surface of Mars , Martian canals , an optical illusion. A navigation is a series of channels that run roughly parallel to the valley and stream bed of an unimproved river. A navigation always shares the drainage basin of the river. A vessel uses the calm parts of the river itself as well as improvements, traversing the same changes in height. A true canal
12535-543: Was opened in 1810, but abandoned in 1914 – a fate hastened by a breach at Stanley aqueduct in 1901. Much of the canal subsequently became unnavigable: many of the structures were deliberately damaged by army demolition exercises; parts of the route were filled in and in some cases built over. In 1977 the Wilts & Berks Canal Amenity Group was formed with a view to full restoration of the canal. Several locks and bridges have since been restored, and over 8 miles (13 km) of
12650-443: Was presented to Parliament in early 1811, but was withdrawn because it would probably have been defeated. By 1812, it had become the North Wilts Canal, and authority to build it was obtained in 1813. Of the many plans, this was the only one to reach completion when it opened on 2 April 1819. The North Wilts Canal was originally formed as a separate company. The branch was 9 miles (14 km) long and included 11 locks, an aqueduct over
12765-645: Was published in five volumes in 2015, but the Environment Agency required further information, and supplementary reports were produced in March 2018 and January 2019. After delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, communication with the Environment Agency resumed, and agreement on the final two obstacles to the plan was reached. Details were submitted for planning approval in early 2022. There
12880-422: Was reached with Biffa , the waste disposal company, who agreed to a 125-year lease. Funding to remove the refuse from the canal came from a Town and Country Planning Act 1990 section 106 agreement. The connection of the canal with the River Thames at Abingdon had been lost to development. A new connection with the river further downstream near Culham Lock was created on 30 August 2006, when Jubilee Junction
12995-468: Was supplemented by £22,200 from optional notes and by the company running up debts. The canal was cut during the years 1796 to 1810. Robert Whitworth Snr. remained as an engineer on the canal from 1796 until he died in 1799, making regular progress reports to the company. William Whitworth was resident engineer during this period and subsequently became engineer until the canal's completion. The company hoped that construction would be completed in 1805, but it
13110-567: Was to refurbish a row of derelict cottages beside the canal, which they did, but they also restored the canal and the lock, helped by volunteers from the Canal Trust. In 2017, the Wessex Waterways Restoration Trust was formed, with similar aims to the Canal Trust. They aim to complement the Canal Trust, working on parts of the canal restoration where the Canal Trust are not active. In Melksham , where much of
13225-553: Was used by residents as a refuse tip, and council minutes from 1926 show a decision to dump pig offal in the disused waterway. A bus station was built on the site, the buried wharf being uncovered briefly during redevelopment in 2006. During the Second World War, many of the locks and other canal structures were used for army exercises and damaged by explosives. Very little of the old canal survived in usable form, but long rural stretches are clearly delineated. In 1977
#120879