Canal Information
The Kennet & Avon Canal was started in 1796 and work was completed in 1810. It is 86½ miles long and has 104 locks (previously 106) including a flight of 29 locks at Caen Hill, Devizes. It was divided into three sections and connected by the River Kennet (eastwards) and the River Avon (westwards). It flows into the River Thames at Reading and finally joins the River Avon at Bath with navigation into Bristol. The Kennet and Avon canal passes through the counties of Berkshire, Wiltshire and North Somerset. The canal reaches its summit at Crofton and finally descends down at Devizes.
When the Kennet and Avon canal originally opened, it provided for the first time easy transport between London and Bristol, in effect joining the North Sea and the Bristol Channel at a time when the alternatives were horse drawn vehicles on poor roads or a long sea voyage. A stagecoach was faster, but there was no competition for freight haulage until the railway came in 1840 and began the downfall of most canals including the Kennet and Avon.
After the canal fell into dereliction volunteers set about trying to restore it. In 1990, Her Majesty the Queen, opened it again to navigation and with the assistance of a £25 million lottery grant, it has again become the enchanting and workable canal that it once was.
