Kennet and Avon Canal From Old Photographs

A safe route from London to Bristol was long a dream of traders and ship owners. With a hazardous route via the English Channel an inland alternative was first proposed in 1788. After a couple of false starts construction began in 1794. Fourteen years later the Kennet & Avon Canal was opened, with the last section to open being the spectacular series of locks at Devizes. Attempts to close the can...