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Wilts & Berks Canal

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, with a branch to the Thames and Severn Canal at Cricklade. Following local authority boundary changes in 1973 the part of Berkshire through which the canal passes (mostly the Vale of White Horse) was transferred to Oxfordshire. However, the canal's original name is retained for historical reasons.

History

A plan for the canal was published by Robert Whitworth Snr. along with William Whitworth in 1793. The Bill empowering construction of the canal received Royal Assent in 1795. It allowed the company to raise £111,900 through 1,119 shares at a cost of £100 each for the construction of the canal. Another Act of Parliament was passed in 1801 which allowed the company to raise a further £200,000 to complete the canal.

The canal was cut during the years 1796 to 1810. Robert Whitworth Snr. remained as an engineer on the canal from 1796 to 1799. William Whitworth was resident engineer during this time period and upon Robert's departure, he became engineer up until the canal's completion, for which he was paid £255,262.

Following completion, a further two Acts were passed in 1810 and 1813 to alter toll rates on the canal, and another Act was passed in 1815 to allow the company to raise £100,000 to pay off debts collected during the construction of the canal, and to construct a reservoir.

The main canal was 52 miles long, with branches totalling 6 miles to Chippenham, Calne, Wantage and Longcot. It was cut to take narrowboats 72 feet long and seven feet wide. There were 42 locks on the main line and three on the Calne branch. There were three short tunnels.

While the main canal was opened in 1810, some branches were operating before this and others added afterwards. The North Wilts Canal from Swindon to the Thames and Severn Canal at Cricklade was opened in 1819. It was originally a separate company, but merged with the Wilts & Berks following an Act of Parliament in 1821. It had 11 locks.

Coal came from the Radstock and Paulton mines in the Somerset coalfield by way of the Somersetshire Coal Canal, which joined the Kennet and Avon Canal at Dundas. In 1837 43,642 tons of coal were transported via the Wilts & Berks Canal from the Somerset coalfield, with 10,669 tons being handled at Abingdon wharf. The Wilts and Berks thus became a link in the "chain" of canals providing a transportation 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.

The Wilts & Berks Canal was never a great commercial success owing to the inception of the railway, especially the Great Western Railway from 1841. In addition, long stretches of the canal were through a type of clay which is unsuitable for lining a canal, and so there was a constant need for puddling, making maintenance costs prohibitive. Despite this, the Wilts & Berks Canal operated for more than a century before being abandoned by an Act of Parliament in 1914. The act was sponsored by Swindon Corporation, which gained control of all the land within its boundary. In other areas ownership returned to the owners of adjacent land. Through traffic had pretty much ceased in 1901 when the Stanley Aqueduct over the River Marden between Chippenham and Calne collapsed, which proved to be the death knell of the canal. From the early 1930s much of the canal was filled in and generally used for dumping rubbish. During 1939 to 1945 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, and restoration to a full working canal is perfectly possible, despite the numerous roads and other obstacles to be crossed. Land ownership issues are being gradually resolved along the length of the canal, and many landowners are being positively encouraging, recognising that having a working canal crossing their land can be a great asset, especially from the point of view of tourism.

Some years ago, the Kennet and Avon was considered to be unrealistic, but of course today it is a thriving waterway.

Restoration

In 1977 the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust began to preserve what remained, and ten years later this became a major restoration project.

Although development has obviously taken place on some of the land of the canal, much of it is intact, especially in rural areas. The "line" of the canal has been preserved in Local Development Plans, which means that no new building or development will take place on the former canal.

A quick fly-by on Google Earth reveals just how much of the canal is still clearly visible.

The Trust is progressing well with re-watering many of the rural sections, and is working with local councils to construct new sections (possibly including new tunnels) where urban development has made the original route unavailable. Not all development has been urban, however. In Uffington, for instance, a farm has been built on the old wharf site, over the filled canal.

As of 2006, a number of bridges and locks have been rebuilt and at least eight miles of the canal are in water.

Although there is, predictably, some controversy about the restoration of the canal, most of the landowners along the line of the canal are proving to be very co-operative with the Trust, once they understand the benefits they can gain from a working canal, and are assured that they will not lose any access to or from the fields to either side. Many landowners are already benefitting from the Trust work parties, who are installing fencing, accommodation bridges, drainage etc as well as undergoing tree maintenance and removal where required.

Many people are initially concerned with the way that the Trust goes about its work - which often includes the unavoidable 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.

However, the Trust goes to great lengths to keep local groups and residents informed and involved with the work. Senior members of the Trust regularly give talks and guided walks along the canal, and are pleased to demonstrate how what was formerly a stagnant rubbish-dump has been transformed into a linear wildlife corridor. An oft-repeated phrase is "not even wildlife likes a stagnant canal!" and there is a lot of truth in that.

One of the most contentious issues is the felling of trees: many people do not recognise that the trees concerned are invariably Salix Fragilis, a fast-growing, short-lived member of the Willow family, which have seeded themselves on the towpath side of the canal, and which have a dangerous habit of shedding large branches in windy weather. These have to be removed, not least because of the hazard they cause to the many people who enjoy walking along the restored towpath lengths. Trust Work parties are often called out at short notice to deal with trees that have fallen right across the towpath, blocking the way for walkers and cyclists. This work is entirely voluntary and upaid.

There are some fairly major engineering challenges lying ahead for the Trust, but they are also offering opportunities for improvement and enhancement of the areas surrounging the canal. For instance the M4 motorway at Swindon was built over the line of the canal, and at first sight appears to be an insurmountable obstacle. However, not only are Swindon Council now supporting the restoration of the canal, they are actively planning to once again route it through the town centre, albeit not quite on the original route. Predictably, there is some resistance to this, and one surprisingly resilient misconception is that canals are "stagnant water". Canals are, of course, permanently moving water slowly downstream, thus not stagnant at all, and the dirty brown colour is a necessary element of a canal: if the water were clear, as in a river, weed would grow, and the locks and weirs would block up. This would indeed cause stagnant water. The passage of boats is a vital element to keep the water stirred up and muddly-looking, to prevent the growth of weeds.

Many people in south Oxfordshire are very concerned about the risk of flooding, and of course the canal will be an excellent permanent drainage system, helping to take excess water and move it away to the Thames.

The Trust welcomes new members, who are most welcome to participate in work parties, to assist in the administration of running the branches, to do fund-raising, to help at publicity events, or simply to be armchair members.

Name

The official name of the canal was always "Wilts & Berks Canal" as cited in the Acts of Parliament that authorised its building and subsequently disbanded it. It should not be referred to as the "Wiltshire and Berkshire" Canal, but as "the former Wilts and Berks Canal".

Likewise the North Wilts Canal should not be referred to as the "North Wiltshire" Canal.