| Wilts & Berks Canal |
|---|
The canal near Rushey Platt, Swindon |
|
|
| Length | 52 miles (84 km)
(+ branches totalling 6 miles (9.7 km)) |
|---|
| Maximum boat length | 72 ft 0 in (21.95 m) |
|---|
| Maximum boat beam | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
|---|
| Locks | 42
(+ 3 on Calne branch) |
|---|
| Status | Under restoration |
|---|
|
| Principal engineer | Robert Whitworth |
|---|
| Other engineer(s) | William Whitworth |
|---|
| Date of act | 1795 |
|---|
| Construction began | 1796 |
|---|
| Date completed | 1810 |
|---|
| Date closed | 1914 |
|---|
|
| Start point | River Thames |
|---|
| End point | Kennet and Avon Canal |
|---|
| Branch(es) | |
|---|
| Connects to | North Wilts Canal |
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
River Thames |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New basin - Jubilee Junction (140m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lock |
|
|
|
|
Pumping station |
|
|
|
|
Oday Hill Lock |
|
|
|
|
Oday Hill Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Stonehill Lock |
|
|
|
|
B4107 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
New Cut Mill South Locks (4) |
|
|
|
|
New Cut Mill North Locks (4) |
|
|
|
|
bridge |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Abingdon Lock |
|
|
|
|
Tythe Barn Lock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A34 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Drayton Lock |
|
|
|
|
Steventon Lock |
|
|
|
|
Ardington Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Great Western Main Line railway bridge |
|
|
|
|
Grove Locks (1) |
|
|
|
|
A338 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Grove Locks (5) |
|
|
|
|
A417 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Wantage branch |
|
|
|
|
Wantage wharf |
|
|
|
|
West Challow Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Childrey Brook |
|
|
|
|
Childrey Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Shippery Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Childrey Wharf |
|
|
|
|
B4001 New Road Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Great Western Main Line railway bridge |
|
|
|
|
Longcot Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Longcot wharf |
|
|
|
|
Road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Longcot branch |
|
|
|
|
B4000 road bridge (Shrivenham) |
|
|
|
|
Steppingstones Lane Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Marston Locks (4) |
|
|
|
|
route south of Swindon (proposed) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lower Earlcourt Lock |
|
|
|
|
Wanborough Lock |
|
|
|
|
Foxbridge Farm Lock |
|
|
|
|
Marsh Farm Lock |
|
|
|
|
Inlands Farm Lock |
|
|
|
|
Great Moor Leaze Lock |
|
|
|
|
Medbourne Locks (3) |
|
|
|
|
Broome Manor Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Pipers Way Lock |
|
|
|
|
Black Horse Lock |
|
|
|
|
|
Thames and Severn Canal |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Latton Basin |
|
|
|
|
Latton Lock |
|
|
|
|
aqueducts (2) across River Thames |
|
|
|
|
tunnel |
|
|
|
|
B4553 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Hayes Knoll Lock |
|
|
|
|
Crosslands Lock |
|
|
|
|
Pry Lock |
|
|
|
|
River Ray Aqueduct |
|
|
|
|
Mouldon Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Moredon Breathing Places |
|
|
|
|
Moredon Locks (1) |
|
|
|
|
Locks (5) |
|
|
|
|
|
Swindon urban route (proposed) |
|
|
|
|
Kingshill wharf / E Wichel Lock |
|
|
|
|
Rushey Platt section |
|
|
|
|
Mid Wichel section (in progress) |
|
|
|
|
M4 tunnel (proposed) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hay Lane Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Studley Grange section |
|
|
|
|
Chaddington Lane Bridge (culvert) |
|
|
|
|
Chaddington Lane spill weir |
|
|
|
|
Chaddington Lock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Woodshaw Lock |
|
|
|
|
Templar Firs section (1150m) |
|
|
|
|
spill weir |
|
|
|
|
Buxton Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Noremarsh Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Marlborough Road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Dunnington Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Dunnington aqueduct (Brinkworth Brook) |
|
|
|
|
Breach Lane Bridge |
|
|
|
|
A3102 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Tockenham Reservoir |
|
|
|
|
Tockenham Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Trow Lane Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Seven Locks, Lyneham (7) |
|
|
|
|
Bowd's Lane Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Sodom Lane Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Dauntsey Lock |
|
|
|
|
B4069 road bridge |
|
|
|
|
Dauntsey section (700m) |
|
|
|
|
City Bridge (Dauntsey) |
|
|
|
|
Wood Common Lock |
|
|
|
|
Foxham section (700m) |
|
|
|
|
Foxham Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Foxham Road Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Charlcutt Hill Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Wick Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Bencroft Hill Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Stanley Junction |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Carpenters Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Hazeland Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Fisher's Brook aqueduct |
|
|
|
|
Conigre Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Conigre Tunnel (under A4) |
|
|
|
|
Chaveywell Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Calne Lock |
|
|
|
|
|
Calne wharf |
|
|
|
|
Stanley Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Stanley aqueduct (River Marden) |
|
|
|
|
Studley Hill Road Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Forest Gate Lock |
|
|
|
|
A4 Forest Gate bridge |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Branch (now under Pewsham Way) |
|
|
|
|
Tunnel (intact but buried under |
|
|
|
|
Burlands Rd and Little Englands) |
|
|
|
|
|
Chippenham Wharf (now Bus Station) |
|
|
|
|
Pewsham Top Lock |
|
|
|
|
Pewsham Top Lock Bridge |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pewsham Middle Lock and dry dock |
|
|
|
|
Pewsham Bottom Lock |
|
|
|
|
Cocklemore Brook spill weir |
|
|
|
|
Triangle Wood spill weir |
|
|
|
|
Double Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Naish Hill section (1.8 km) |
|
|
|
|
Bell Inn Bridge |
|
|
|
|
Lacock Lock |
|
|
|
|
Queenfield Lock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Melksham Locks (3) |
|
|
|
|
Melksham Town Lock |
|
|
|
|
River Avon |
|
|
|
|
River Locks (2) |
|
|
|
|
Berryfield Lock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kennet and Avon 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. 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 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 the canal have been rewatered.
