The Kennet and Avon Canal - from Little Bedwyn heading west to Hilperton.
The Kennet and Avon on it's journey west via beautiful countryside and passing Crofton Pump Station, Bruce Tunnel and the impressive Caen Lock Flight.
The first part of our Kennet and Avon Canal topic covered the Navigation's journey from where it links with the River Thames at Reading along to the outside of Little Bedwyn and this topic continues from there. From Kennet Lock 50 there are 29 locks to negotiate over a 2.25 mile stretch of the canal ending at Caen Lock 22 - a descent of 230 feet. This total descent does of course include the canal's trip down Caen Hill Flight where there are 16 locks immediately following each other taking the Kennet and Avon canal on a descent of just under 131 feet.
Little Bedwyn Lock
Little Bedwyn Bridge
Potter's Lock
Lockgates at Burnt Mill
Burnt Mill Lock
Bedwyn Wharf Bridge
Bedwyn Church Lock
Mill Bridge no 97
Beech Grove Bridge
Beech Grove Lock
Newbridge
Newbridge 99
Lock 62's lockgates
Crofton Crossing Bridge
Bottom lock at Crofton
Crofton Pumping Station
was constructed between 1807 and 1809 and houses several Cornish beam engines which are still in full working condition and are steamed during the summer on several weekends each year. The pump station's chimney is visible from some miles away and has been restored to it's original height of 82 feet it's used to provide draught for the boiler. From the towpath access to the pump station means crossing over the lockgates at lock 60 (the nearest bridges are at either lock 58 or lock 61 and a bit of a walk away) and then going under the railway lines via a low concrete tunnel before walking up steps to the buildings. There are facilities at the pumping staton available such as toilets and you can also buy tea, coffee or food there too. The website which may be of interest to check steaming times and as well as actual opening hours and so on is at Crofton Beam Engines
Crofton
Crofton Pumping station
Lock no:60
Lockgates Lock no:59
Free Warren Bridge no:101
Sam Farmer Lock no:58
Adopter's Lock
Kennet and Avon Lock 56
Wolfhall Feilds bridge
Crofton Top Lock
Wolfhall Bridge
Eastern portal - Bruce Tunnel
Bruce Tunnel
Western portal for Bruce Tunnel
Burbage Wharf
and Bridge 104
Wootton Top Bridge and Cadley Lock
Just near to Crofton Top Lock are the remains of what must have been an excellent example of a Great Western Railway bricked bridge which once crossed the canal and carried a branch line to Marlborough - most of the side supports remain. It's not difficult to sit by the lock and imagine the views in the old days when
Great Western Railway's steam engines hauling carriages or freight wagons rattled and hissed their way across the bridge. A little further along from the lock is
the Kennet and Avon's only tunnel - the 502 yard long Bruce Tunnel
which opened in 1809. Named after the 1st Earl of Ailesbury (modern name is Aylesbury) Thomas Brudenell-Bruce it was constructed as the Earl refused to permit a deep cut to be made for the canal through his land. The Kennet and Avon Canal's other connection with Aylesbury (Buckinghamshire) is the existance of the Aylesbury Canal Arm which leaves the Grand Union Canal at Marsworth Junction - the Aylesbury Arm was once planned to continue as far as Abingdon and ultimately provide a through route from Bristol to London. A feature of the tunnel was it's width (barges were far wider than today's narrowboats) and that as there is no towpath inside the tunnel a chain ran the length of the tunnel which boatmen used to haul themselves through. The Kennet and Avon towpath goes under the present railway lines and then up steps to soon reach a narrow road - cross straight over and pass several houses before descending back to the towpath by the tunnel's west portal.
Brimslade Lock
Brimslade Bridge
Heathey Close Lock
Heathey Close Bridge
Wootton Rivers Bottom Lock
Wootton Rivers Bridge
Wootton Rivers Farm Bridge
Curret Crown Bridge
New Mill Bridge - Kennet and Avon
Milkhouse Water Bridge
Pains Bridge
Pewsey Bridge 114
Bristow Bridge 115
Bristow Bridge
Stowell Park Bridge 116
Stowell Park Bridge
Wilcot Bridge 117 - Kennet and Avon Canal
Bowdens Bridge 119
Bowden's Bridge
Ladys Bridge 120 - Kennet and Avon Canal
The towpath on our photos of this stretch of the Kennet and Avon Canal may look easy to walk or cycle along but there are quite a few places where
there are quite heavy ruts - the pictures were taken in July 2010 and this part of England had been extremely dry for weeks. These ruts and also several areas
where there are near collapses into the canal itself means if there has been even moderate recent rainfall the towpath is certainly difficult to travel along due to heavy mud in places.
Stowell Park Suspension Bridge
(picture above) is quite unusual - it was constructed around 1845 and is a small suspension bridge made of iron and the only one surviving of it's kind. Built in 1808 Lady's Bridge (also shown above) is very ornate compared with the other canal bridges in the area - it was built by John Rennie and designed in this fashion at the insistence of the then landowners as a condition to agreeing to the acquisition of their land. The stretch of towpath particularly between England's Bridge and All Cannings Bridge suffers badly from dog crap and in hot weather there are lots of flies about. There is a smallish parking area beside All Cannings Bridge and obviously dog owners park and unfortunately then let their hounds do there thing along the towpath beside the canal. There are severalWiltshire white horses decorating the hillsides
in the area - for instance one can be seen from Alton Barnes and from Devizes Marina.
Woodborough Fields
Bridge 122
Alton Valley Bridge 123
Alton Valley
Bridge 123
A Wiltshire White Horse near Alton Barnes
Honey Street
Bridge 124
Stanton Bridge 125
Englands Bridge 126 - Kennet and Avon Canal
All Cannings
Bridge 127
All Cannings Bridge
Woodway Bridge 128
Woodway Bridge 128
Allington
swing bridge 129
Allington Bridge 130
Dis-used + rotting Horton Fields swingbridge 131
Horton Chain
Bridge 132
Bishops Canning swing bridge 133
Horton Bridge 134
Ladywood
Bridge 135
Devizes Marina and white horse in the background
Coate Bridge 136
Brickham Bridge 137
London Road Bridge 138
Park Bridge 139
Cemetery Road
Bridge 140
Cemetery Road Bridge
Kennet Lock 50
Devizes Town Bridge 141
Maton Lock 49
Trust Lock 48
Manifold Lock 47
The last time a Kennet and Avon canal lock was encountered was back before Pewsey at Wooton Rivers Bottom Lock 51 - from there to Devizes the Kennet and Avon Canal happily wanders around the countryside as it follows the contours - but at Devizes things change with a vengeance as the canal heads off towards Bradford on Avon. Almost straight away from leaving the centre of Devizes boat and barge owners can get themselves warmed up as there are several locks before the main event at the highly impressive Caen Hill Flight of locks.
Prison Bridge 142
AP Herbert Lock 46
Caen Hill Flight Lock 45
Caen Hill Flight
Lock 44 gates
Caen Hill Flight
Caen Flight lock footbridge
Caen Flight lockgates
Peter Lindley
Jones Lock
Caen Hill Flight pound
Caen Hill Flight
Lock 29
Caen Hill Flight
Caen Locks 28
Marsh Lane Bridge 144
Caen Locks 27
Caen Locks 26
Caen Lock Flight on the Kennet and Avon Canal.
Each of the Caen Hill Flight locks have associated pounds and the area has been laid out with paths and seating areas so that visitors can wander around and watch the narrowboats heading up and down. Lock keepers organise boats on their 2.5 or so hour trip through the Caen Hill Flight and there are restrictions on access times - currently these are from April to October 0800-1700 (boats must be clear of the hill flight by 2000) and November to March 0800-1300 (boats have to clear the Hill flight by 1530). In addition the lock keepers do like to move more than one boat at time and will ask owners to wait a short while if neccessary for the sake of water conservation.
Caen Locks 25
Caen Locks 24
Caen Locks 23
Foxhanger's Footbridge 145
Caen Locks 22
Lower Foxhangers
Bridge 146
Dismantled railwaybridge 147
MartinSlade
Bridge 148
Sells Green Bridge 149
Rusty Lane
Swingbridge 151
Seend Top Lock 21
Seend Locks 20
Seend Locks 19
Seend Wharf Bridge 153
Seend Lock 18
This section of the Kennet and Avon Canal has several swing bridges along it's route mostly providing access for farmers into their fields when the canal's route cut through their land. Swing bridges were mainly used as they were much cheaper to construct and maintain than brick built arched bridges.
Also where the surrounding area was quite flat this type of bridge saved a lot of earthwork having to be constructed to gain enough height over the canal.
The Kennet and Avon Canal's swing bridges
were amongst the first to be designed to run on ball bearings. There are several locks and bridges around Seend - the area looks very countrified and peaceful now but at one time this was a hive of activity as it was involved in the lucrative wool trade as well as some quarrying - Seend once had 3 blast furnaces until they were closed in the 1880s. Additionally Seend was on the Turnpike which was built to connect Devizes and Trowbridge and therefore part of one of the main roads between London and Bath.
Seend Lock bridge 154
Seend Bottom Lock 17
Seend Farm swingbridge
Lowes Swingbridge 157
Newton swingbridge
Semington Top Lock 16
Buckleys Lock 15 is quite significant because this is where the currently extinct Wilts and Berks Canal main line leaves the Kennet and Avon Canal - the Wilts and Berks used to go some 52 miles across the countryside via Swindon to give a connection with the River Thames at Abingdon in Oxfordshire. Take a look at the Wilts and Berks Trust site for lots of information - they have plans for a complete restoration of the canal and any support is most welcome.
Buckleys Lock 15
Semington Bridge 160
Semington Swing Bridge 161
Whaddon Grove Bridge
162
Hilperton Marsh Bridge 165
Hilperton Roadbridge 166
Hilperton Wharf Marina
Balls Bridge 168
Biss Aqueduct 7
Pipe at Bis Aqueduct
Also see our Kennet and Avon Canal topic which covers the canal's journey from just outside Reading (The River Thames) west to the Hungerford area and our Kennet and Avon - West covers the canal from Bradford-on-Avon on through via Bath and Bristol to it's end just past The Clifton Suspension Bridge at Avonmouth..
River navigations were around much earlier than canals are quite interesting to wander along - two others which we have topics on are the Stort Navigation and the Lee Navigation both of which are located in Southern England.
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