The "Big Dig" of October 12–13, 1991, was the largest event in the history of the Wilts & Berks Canal restoration, marking the 21st anniversary of the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) and the 25th anniversary of their journal, Navvies. It represented a "monumental achievement" that signaled to local authorities and the public that the canal's restoration was a practical and achievable goal.

Scale and Participation Volunteers: Over 1,000 volunteer "navvies" from all corners of Britain converged on the site. This was noted as the largest assembly of workers on a British canal since the original construction era of the 18th and 19th centuries. Notable Figures: The event was attended by Tony Baldrey, the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment and the top politician in charge of inland waterways, who spent the weekend digging alongside volunteers. The Mayor and Mayoress of Thamesdown also attended. Logistics: Organizing accommodation and food for such a large crowd was a major feat. King Alfred's School in Wantage provided housing for 600 people, while the WRVS produced "mountains of sandwiches" to feed the workers.

Work Accomplished

The primary focus of the weekend was a "blitz" on the Seven Mile Pound near Wantage, working westward from East Challow toward Shrivenham. Clearance: Volunteers successfully cleared approximately two miles of heavily overgrown canal bed and towpath. Tasks: The bulk of the work involved intensive scrub-bashing, tree felling, and earth-moving. Huge bonfires were lit every few yards to incinerate debris, creating a two-mile plume of smoke. Structural Work: A 30-foot section of the Childrey Wharf wall was rebuilt, and the towpath between Grove Top and Limekiln locks was surfaced with ballast.

Impact and Legacy Publicity: The event generated significant local and national interest, including a half-page article in the Saturday edition of The Times. However, organizers were slightly disappointed by the lack of significant television coverage. Landowner Relations: The quality of the work was so high that it convinced skeptical landowners to allow restoration to proceed on their properties. Documentation: A 45-minute video titled The Big Dig was produced to document the effort and capture the "excitement and scale" of the project. Celebration: The weekend concluded with the WRG 21st Birthday Party for 750 participants at the Wantage Leisure Centre, featuring a celebratory cake. The Big Dig effectively moved the project from a "hopelessly lost cause" to a high-profile restoration movement. Even decades later, it is remembered as the event that gave the Seven Mile Pound project a flying start. More Dragonfly magazine archive Navvies magazine archive Podcast

These Historical documents trace the Wilts and Berks Canal from its 1795 incorporation to its 1914 abandonment. Acts of Parliament regulated infrastructure, capital raises, and water rights. After railway competition caused its decline, the system was sold and eventually closed. 1795 - Act of Enablement

1. Purpose and Incorporation
The 1795 Act of Enablement authorizes the construction of a navigable canal to connect the River Thames (or Isis) near Abingdon, Berkshire, to the Kennet and Avon Canal near Trowbridge, Wiltshire. This project includes several "navigable cuts" to serve the towns of Wantage, Calne, and Chippenham. To manage this undertaking, the act incorporates a specific list of individuals into a "Body Politick and Corporate" known as the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation. This Company is granted perpetual succession, a common seal, and the legal authority to purchase and sell lands.

2. Engineering Powers and Infrastructure
The Company is granted extensive powers to design, build, and maintain the canal and its associated works. These powers include: Surveying and Excavating: The right to enter lands to take levels, dig, and remove soil, gravel, or trees that may obstruct construction. Major Infrastructure: The authority to build locks, tunnels, bridges, aqueducts, sluices, and "Fire Engines" (steam engines) to supply the canal with water. Maintenance: The power to repair and amend any part of the navigation, including the construction of towing paths for men or horses to draw vessels. Alternative Navigation: If locks or sluices are deemed inexpedient, the Company may use rollers or inclined planes to transport vessels.

3. Financial Structure and Capital
The Company is authorized to raise £111,900 to fund the project, divided into one thousand one hundred and nineteen shares valued at £100 each. These shares are considered personal estate rather than real estate. If the initial sum is insufficient, the Company may raise an additional £150,000 through further contributions from the proprietors or by mortgaging the canal's tolls and rates as security. The act limits individual influence by prohibiting any proprietor from holding more than fifty shares, except those acquired through inheritance or marriage.

4. Tolls and Commercial Regulations
To generate revenue, the Company is entitled to collect tonnage and wharfage rates for all goods transported on the canal. The maximum rates are strictly regulated based on the type of cargo: One Halfpenny per Ton per Mile: For manure, hay, straw, and materials for road repair. One Penny per Ton per Mile: For coal, iron stone, bricks, tiles, and lime. Two-pence per Ton per Mile: For grain, timber, and lead. Two-pence Halfpenny per Ton per Mile: For all other unspecified goods and commodities. The act also includes a protectionist clause for the coastal trade, forbidding the transport of coal toward London or Reading via the canal to prevent the diminution of the coastal trade revenue.

5. Water Management and Restrictions
The Company may draw water from springs and streams found within 2,000 yards of the canal or its branches. However, the act imposes significant restrictions to protect existing interests: Mill Protections: The Company must not injure the water supply of existing mills, such as Winterbourn Mill, and must compensate owners for any damage to their machinery or water supply. Prohibited Sources: Specific streams, such as those supplying the Charter House farms or the estates of certain landowners like Daines Barrington, are strictly protected from diversion. Leakage Prevention: The Company is required to "puddle" the sides of the canal with clay where necessary to prevent water from oozing through and damaging adjacent lands.

6. Governance and Committees
The Company's affairs are managed by a Committee of Management consisting of fifteen proprietors. For administrative purposes, the proprietors are divided into two classes: the Berkshire District and the Wiltshire District. Each district meets annually to elect five members to the committee, with the final five members elected at a general meeting of all proprietors. Voting rights are proportional to shareholding, with one vote per share up to a maximum of fifty votes.

7. Landowner Protections and Dispute Resolution
The act provides detailed mechanisms to protect the property rights of local landowners: Mandatory Course Variations: The Company must adjust the canal's path to avoid or accommodate specific estates, including those of the Earl of Clarendon, the Marquis of Lansdown, and the Master and Governors of Christ's Hospital. Commissioners: A body of independent Commissioners is appointed to mediate disputes regarding land purchase prices and damage assessments. Jury Trials: If the Company and a landowner cannot agree on compensation, the Commissioners can summon a jury of twenty-four men to determine a binding settlement. Infrastructure for Landowners: The Company must build fences, bridges, styles, and watering places for cattle to ensure landowners can continue to use their divided properties.

8. Navigation Rules and Penalties
The act establishes strict operational rules to ensure orderly use of the canal: Boat Identification: Owners must have their names and boat numbers painted in large white letters on the outside of their vessels. Lock Conduct: Lock-keepers are forbidden from showing "undue Preference" to certain vessels, and boatmen are required to follow specific procedures for shutting lock gates to conserve water. Prohibitions: It is illegal to obstruct the canal, throw rubbish into it, or navigate vessels under twenty tons through locks without special permission or paying the full tonnage rate. Strict Liability: Boat owners are held financially responsible for any damage caused by their vessels or crew to the canal’s bridges, locks, or banks

Reference: Parliament Public Act, 35 George III, c. 52. 30th April 1795. 1801 - Amendment

The 1801 Wilts and Berks Canal Act empowered proprietors to raise £200,000 through new shares or promissory notes to complete construction. This legislation amended previous laws to manage debts, regulate tolls, and authorize specific navigable cuts and infrastructure.

1. Authorization to Raise Additional Capital:
The Act authorizes the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation to raise an additional £200,000. This funding is required because original cost estimates were insufficient, and the company has incurred various debts in the process of making and completing the canal.

2. Methods for Raising Funds:
The company is permitted to raise the necessary funds by creating new or additional shares of £100 each. They may also raise money through promissory notes of not less than £50 each, which carry a 5% annual interest rate and are repayable at the end of ten years.

3. Shareholder Rights and Priority:
Existing proprietors are given a six-week period of first refusal to purchase a proportional number of new shares before they are offered to the general public. Additionally, those holding promissory notes have the option to convert them into shares at the expiration of the ten-year term.

4. Debt and Land Offsets:
Proprietors who have previously lent money to the company or individuals who are owed money for lands taken for the canal are authorized to deduct these sums from the price of any new shares they subscribe to.

5. Recovery of Unpaid Calls:
The company is empowered to sue for unpaid money ("calls") on shares in His Majesty's Courts of Record. If calls remain unpaid for three months, the shares may be forfeited and sold at public auction, provided the forfeiture is declared at a general meeting of the Committee of Management.

6. Regulations for Bankrupt or Deceased Proprietors:
In cases where a proprietor is bankrupt or deceased and calls go unpaid for one year, the company may forfeit and sell those shares. If no bidders are found at auction, the shares may be "annihilated" and the names struck from the company books.

7. Disposal of Surplus Property:
The company is authorized to sell, lease, or mortgage lands, tenements, or buildings that were purchased but are no longer necessary for the canal's navigation or works.

8. Defined Canal Terminations:
The Act specifies the termination of the canal at Semington, where it joins the Kennet and Avon Canal. It also clarifies the termination points for the branches (cuts) leading to the towns of Chippenham and Calne.

9. Maintenance of Roads and Bridges:
The company is not liable for repairing roads leading to bridges once those roads have been initially put in good repair and used for six months. However, they must provide chains for swivel or draw bridges so they can be closed quickly after a vessel passes.

10. Compensation for Incapacitated Persons:
When compensation for land is owed to "Bodies Politick," infants, or lunatics, sums exceeding £200 must be paid into the Bank of England and managed by the Court of Chancery to ensure the funds are properly applied.

11. Administrative and Voting Changes:
The Act repeals previous limits on the number of shares (formerly a maximum of 50) an individual could hold. It also mandates that the determination of the majority of votes at company meetings shall be binding.

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 41 George III, c. lxviii (68). 20th June 1801. 1810 - Amendment

This 1810 Act of Parliament serves to alter, amend, and enlarge the powers granted by two previous acts regarding the construction and maintenance of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation. Below is a numbered summary of the key provisions and historical context provided in the sources:

1. Project Scope and History:
The original project involved creating a navigable canal from the River Thames (or Isis) near Abingdon in Berkshire to join the Kennet and Avon Canal near Trowbridge in Wiltshire. The "Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation" was initially authorized to raise £111,900 in shares, with the power to raise an additional £150,000 if needed.

2. Repeal of Previous Coal Restrictions:
Under the original Act, there was a strict prohibition against conveying coal, culm, or cinders from the canal down the River Thames between Reading and London. This 1810 Act repeals that specific restriction, noting that allowing such transport as far as the City Stone above Staines Bridge would benefit both the Company and the surrounding country.

3. New Transport Limitations and Penalties:
While the old restriction was repealed, a new one was established: no coal, culm, or cinders from the canal may be carried down the Thames between the City Stone and London via barge or boat. Violators face the forfeiture of their vessel and its cargo, plus a £50 fine for the owner.

4. Validation of Financial Management: A later Act (41 Geo. 3. c. 68) had authorized the Company to raise another £200,000 and mandated that tolls and rates be distributed among proprietors as dividends. However, the Company instead used those funds to complete the canal works. This 1810 Act declares that application of funds to be valid and legal, despite the previous instructions to distribute them.

5. Procedures for Land Acquisition:
The sources outline legal protocols for when land titles are unclear or owners (such as those with disabilities) cannot legally execute a sale. In such cases, purchase money is to be paid into the Bank of England under the authority of the Court of Chancery. The person in possession of the land at the time of purchase is generally deemed the lawful owner unless the Court of Chancery proves otherwise.

6. Responsibility for Costs:
The Company of Proprietors is mandated to pay the costs and charges associated with obtaining and passing this 1810 Act. They are also responsible for the reasonable expenses incurred during land purchases involving owners with legal "incapacity or disability".

7. Public Act Status:
The legislation is officially designated as a Public Act, meaning it must be judicially noticed by all judges and justices without being specially pleaded.

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 50 George III, c. cxlviii (148). 2nd June 1810. 1813 - Amendment

This 1813 Act amends legislation regarding the Wilts and Berks Canal. It prohibits the canal company from diverting water sources on specific estates in Shrivenham. The law mandates filling in unauthorized cuts and installing a pipe to ensure a constant water supply to local farms.

1. Failure of Previous Protections:
The original Act contained a clause intended to prevent the "Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation" from diverting water from estates in the Tything of Beckett belonging to Daines Barrington, Samuel Barrington, and the Bishop of Durham. However, these provisions were found "ineffectual" and resulted in "Great Detriment and Injury" to the estates.

2. Repeal and Stricter Prohibitions:
The 1813 Act repeals the original protective clause and replaces it with a stricter prohibition. The Company is forbidden from altering or diverting water from the Ashbury and Knighton streams that flow to the Beckett estate, with the specific exception of a stream called the Idston Brook.

3. Mandatory Remediation of Canal Works:
Within three calendar months, the Company is ordered to fill up, at its own expense, at least one hundred yards of a "Cut or Feeder" they had recently constructed. This cut was designed to divert water from the Ashbury stream into the Idston stream; the Act requires this to be filled so that no water from Ashbury is diverted in the future.

4. Requirement for Farm Water Supply:
The Company is further directed to install a one-inch diameter pipe through the dams of the Idston Stream to provide a constant water supply to a farm in Shrivenham occupied by Edward Warren. The Company must maintain this pipe at its own cost and ensure the water flow is never interrupted or diminished.

5. Legal Status as a Public Act:
This legislation is officially deemed a Public Act, meaning it must be judicially noticed by all judges and justices without being specifically pleaded.

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 53 George III, c. cxx (120). 3rd June 1813. 1813 - North Wilts Canal

1. Purpose and Scope:
Passed on July 2, 1813, the Act authorizes the creation of a navigable canal intended to connect the Wilts and Berks Canal at Swindon to the Thames and Severn Canal at Latton. This connection was designed to facilitate the transport of commodities and improve communication between South Wales, the counties of Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester, and the City of London.

2. Incorporation of the Company:
The Act incorporates a specific list of individuals into a "Body Politic and Corporate" known as "The Company of Proprietors of the North Wilts Canal Navigation". This company is granted the legal authority to purchase lands, sue and be sued, and maintain the canal for the passage of boats and barges.

3. Engineering and Construction Powers:
The Company is empowered to "bore, dig, cut, trench, and sough" the earth to create the canal, and to build necessary infrastructure such as tunnels, aqueducts, locks, wharfs, and weighing beams. They are also permitted to manufacture materials like bricks on-site during the construction phase.

4. Water Rights and Restrictions:
The Company may use water from springs and streams found within one thousand yards of the canal. However, they are strictly prohibited from taking water from the Thames and Severn Canal (except for "puddling" during construction) or the River Thames/Isis; instead, the primary water source must be the Summit Level of the Wilts and Berks Canal.

5. Land Acquisition and Compensation:
The Act provides detailed procedures for purchasing land from various owners, including "Bodies Politic" and trustees for incapacitated persons. To settle disputes regarding land value or damages, Commissioners are appointed, and if their determination is rejected, a Jury of eighteen men may be impaneled to assess the final compensation.

6. Financial Structure:
The Company is authorized to raise £60,000 for the project, divided into 2,400 shares of £25 each. If this initial capital is insufficient, they may raise an additional £30,000 through new shares or by mortgaging the navigation's tolls and rates.

7. Governance and Management:
Management is vested in a Committee of Management consisting of nine proprietors elected at general meetings. These meetings were initially designated to take place at The Goddard’s Arms Inn in Swindon. The committee has the power to appoint a Principal Clerk, Treasurer, and Engineers to oversee operations.

8. Tolls and Tonnage Rates:
The Act establishes specific rates for transporting goods: one shilling per ton for manure-related items (hay, straw, etc.) and road materials; two shillings per ton for coal, iron, and grain; and two shillings and sixpence for other commodities.

9. Navigational Regulations and Penalties:
Boat owners must paint their names and place of abode in large white letters on a black ground on the outside of their vessels. The Act imposes fines for various offenses, such as wasting water at locks, obstructing the canal with timber, or throwing rubbish into the water.

10. Protection of Private Interests:
Specific clauses protect the estates of local landowners; for instance, the Company must maintain an aqueduct or culvert over the Churn or Mill Stream for Lord Eliot and is restricted from taking certain streams flowing through the estates of Lord Redesdale.

11. Public Rights:
While the Company manages the infrastructure, the public is granted free liberty to navigate the canal with boats and barges, provided they pay the required tolls and follow the established rules and "Bye-Laws".

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 53 George III, c. clxxxii (182). 2nd July 1813. 1815 - Amendment

This 1815 Act empowers the Wilts and Berks Canal Company to raise £100,000 to settle debts and complete works. It authorizes the creation of new shares or promissory notes secured by canal tolls. The law also allows investment in the North Wilts Canal Navigation.

1. Debt Resolution and Capital Authorization:
Passed on March 23, 1815, this Act (55° GEORGII III. Cap. vi.) was designed to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation to raise £100,000 specifically to discharge the company's existing debts. This was necessary because the funds raised under previous Acts were found to be "insufficient and inadequate" for the canal's completion and maintenance.

2. Creation of New Shares:
The Company was authorized to raise the required funds by creating new shares of £100 each. These new shares were to be added to the 10,000 shares already existing in the undertaking, and the holders would be entitled to the same profits and advantages as original proprietors.

3. Preference for Existing Shareholders:
Current proprietors were given the first right to subscribe to the new shares. They had a six-week window following a public notice in local newspapers (in Wilts and Berks) and London to claim these shares before they could be sold to the general public at the best available price.

4. Alternative Funding via Promissory Notes:
If deemed more expedient, the Company could instead raise the £100,000 through Promissory Notes. These notes had to be for at least £25 each, were transferable by endorsement, and carried an annual interest rate of 5% paid half-yearly.

5. Security and Debt Priority:
The canal's rates, tolls, and duties served as the legal security for the money raised via Promissory Notes. Crucially, the payment of interest on these notes took precedence over any dividends paid to the Company's proprietors.

6. Conversion Rights and Repayment:
Promissory notes were generally repayable at the end of ten years. However, note holders were granted the option to convert their principal investment into canal shares at the end of this term, provided they gave written notice to the Company's clerk at least one year before the ten-year period expired.

7. Legal Remedies for Creditors:
The Act provided strict protections for creditors; if interest remained unpaid for three months, or principal was not returned after ten years, creditors could apply to have a receiver appointed. This receiver would collect canal tolls and duties directly to pay off the arrears, salaries, and principal.

8. Investment in the North Wilts Canal:
Recognizing the benefit of a connection, the Company was authorized to subscribe up to £15,000 to the North Wilts Canal Navigation, which joined the Wilts and Berks Canal at Swindon. This allowed the company to hold shares and voting rights in that separate undertaking.

9. Establishment of a Sinking Fund:
The Company was empowered to create a Sinking Fund using surplus money from tolls. This fund could be used to purchase government securities or be reinvested into the canal for improvements, repairs, or increasing future dividends.

10. Administrative and Public Status:
The Act mandated that all new shares be numbered and recorded in a registry under the Company’s Common Seal. Finally, the Act was designated a Public Act, and the Company was responsible for paying all costs associated with its passage using the first money raised.

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 55 George III, c. vi (6). 23rd March 1815. 1821 - Act of Incorporation

This 1821 Act of Parliament formally merged the North Wilts and the Wilts and Berks canal companies. It consolidated legal powers to maintain waterways, manage land acquisitions, and regulate water rights. The legislation also established financial structures for shareholding.

1. Incorporation and Name Change:
The Act, passed on June 8, 1821, officially incorporates the Company of Proprietors of the North Wilts Canal Navigation into the Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation. The consolidated entity is legally recognized as "The Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation," and the former North Wilts Canal is designated as the "North Wilts Branch".

2. Consolidation of Authority:
It repeals several prior Acts that separately governed the two canals, bringing all their powers, provisions, and authorities into this single Act of Parliament. Despite this repeal, all prior purchases, sales, contracts, and legal proceedings remain valid and effectual.

3. Infrastructure and Maintenance Powers:
The United Company is granted full power to maintain, complete, and supply the canals with water. This includes authority to cleanse rivers, build reservoirs (specifically in the "Coat Valley"), erect steam engines, and construct feeders, aqueducts, and tunnels necessary for navigation.

4. Financial Structure and Capital:
The Act provides for the consolidation of shares and authorizes the company to raise up to £100,000 in additional funds through the creation of new shares or by issuing promissory notes. Shares are legally classified as personal estate, and the company is required to maintain detailed registers of all proprietors and share transfers.

5. Land Acquisition and Compensation:
The company is empowered to purchase lands necessary for the canal, with the width of the canal and towing paths generally restricted to thirty yards horizontally. If the company and landowners cannot agree on a purchase price or compensation for damages, the Act mandates that a jury be impanelled to settle the dispute.

6. Governance and Management:
The affairs of the company are managed by a Committee of Management consisting of fifteen proprietors. These members are elected from two residency-based classes: the "Proprietors of the Berkshire District" and the "Proprietors of the Wiltshire District". Voting rights are scaled; proprietors with two hundred or more shares have two votes, while those with fewer shares generally receive one vote per share.

7. Tolls and Commerce:
A standardized schedule of tolls and rates is established for the transport of goods. For example, materials like hay, straw, and manure are charged at a lower rate than commodities like coal, iron, or corn. The Committee of Management has the authority to lower or advance these tolls as business needs dictate.

8. Navigation Regulations and Penalties:
To maintain order, the Act sets forth strict rules for boat masters, including the requirement to paint the owner’s name and place of abode on the outside of the vessel. It also details procedures for passing through locks and establishes penalties for offenses such as obstructing the canal, damaging infrastructure, or evading tolls.

9. Environmental and Property Protections:
Specific clauses protect local water sources and properties, such as prohibiting the company from taking water from certain brooks during the summer months or damaging private gardens and timber without consent. The company is also required to maintain bridges and fences to prevent the canal from infringing on the use of adjacent meadows and lands

Reference: Parliament Local and Personal Act, 1 & 2 George IV, c. xcvii (97). 8th June 1821. 1835 - Amendment

This 1835 Act of Parliament manages the Wilts and Berks Canal. It mandates share consolidation, defines voting rights, and sets tolls for goods like coal. The law also establishes operational regulations for boat safety, navigation hours, and penalties for misconduct.

1. Consolidation and Reduction of Shares:
The Act reduced the Company’s capital from twenty thousand shares to five thousand consolidated shares. For every four shares previously held, proprietors became possessed of one consolidated share, with fractional shares (three, two, or one) becoming three-quarter, half, or quarter shares respectively. Proprietors with 100 consolidated shares were granted 100 votes; those with fewer received one vote per share.

2. Administrative Regulations and Record Keeping:
The Company was required to enter all shares and proprietor details into a book to serve as evidence of title. Rules for interpreting the Act were established, specifying that singular terms include the plural and "Lands" includes tenements and hereditaments. Additionally, any five committee members were empowered to elect a Chairman.

3. Property Rights and Legal Proceedings:
A specific cut or branch of the canal in the Parish of Shrivenham, known as the Longcot Branch, was officially vested in the Company. For legal matters, the Clerk or Superintendent was authorized to act on the Company's behalf in bankruptcy cases, and shareholders or servants were deemed competent witnesses in disputes involving the Company.

4. Operational Rules for Navigation:
New regulations prohibited navigating with boats fastened together or without a rudder. Navigation was restricted to specific seasonal hours and prohibited on Sundays, Christmas Day, or Good Friday without written consent. Furthermore, specific age requirements were set for boat workers: haulers had to be at least 14 years old, and captains or steerers at least 18 years old.

5. Protection of Canal Infrastructure:
Strict rules were implemented regarding the use of locks, requiring the use of a windlass for paddles and the use of horses when approaching locks. It was forbidden to load or unload boats within locks or on the banks, or to moor boats near locks, bridges, or aqueducts. Wantonly opening drawbridges or leaving gates open was also penalized.

6. Public Conduct and Prohibitions:
The Act prohibited bathing in the canal and reservoirs, with offenders subject to arrest and potential hard labor. Unauthorized fishing with nets was also banned. Additionally, the Act forbade throwing rubbish into the canal or riding horses/vehicles on the towing path, except where it constituted a public road.

7. Wharfage and Warehousing Regulations:
Business hours at wharfs matched navigation hours. For safety, the use of lighted candles was restricted to lanterns, and sleeping or lighting fires on boats at wharfs was prohibited. Proprietors were granted the right to inspect Company books for a fee of one shilling.

8. Rates, Tolls, and Liens:
The Act established specific rates for various goods, such as coals (3d per ton), stone (6d per ton), and various seeds or grains. Goods left on wharfs for over 24 hours (if not transacted as part of regular business) were subject to charges. The Company held a lien on goods for unpaid dues and could sell items after three months to recover costs.

9. Enforcement and Recovery of Penalties:
Penalties and fines were generally recoverable through a Justice of the Peace. Fines were typically split: one moiety to the informer and the other to the Overseers of the Poor for the relevant parish. If offenders could not pay, they faced potential imprisonment for up to six calendar months.

10. Inter-Canal Cooperation:
To facilitate traffic between South Wales and London, the Thames and Severn Canal Company was authorized, with the Wilts and Berks Company’s consent, to alter locks and bridges to improve navigation between the two systems.

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local and Personal Act, 5 & 6 William IV, c. lix (59). 3rd July 1835. 1876 - Transfer to a New Company

The Wilts and Berks Canal Act of 1876 provides a structured framework for the transfer of the canal's operations to a newly incorporated company. Below is a numbered summary of the key provisions and contexts found in the sources:

1. Reason for Incorporation:
The Act was necessitated by the construction of the Great Western Railway, which had severely decreased canal traffic and reduced receipts to a level insufficient for maintaining the canal or yielding a profit. Consequently, the "Wilts and Berks Canal Company" was incorporated to purchase and maintain the undertaking.

2. Purchase Terms and Price:
The new Company was authorized to purchase the canal undertaking for the sum of £13,466 5s. This payment was required within two months of the Act's passing, with a 4% interest rate applied to any delays,.

3. Comprehensive Asset Transfer:
The sale included all lands, buildings (such as dwelling-houses and cottages), reservoirs, and waterways. Specific personal property listed in the schedule included a steam dredger, iron cranes at Abingdon, Swindon, Lacock, and Melksham, and all boats and tools belonging to the canal.

4. Financial Capital and Borrowing:
The Company’s capital was set at £30,000, divided into shares of £50 each. The Act granted the Company immediate borrowing powers of up to £4,489 (one-third of the purchase price) and additional borrowing powers of up to £5,500 once specific capital milestones were met.

5. Dissolution of the Original Company:
Upon completion of the sale and distribution of assets to shareholders, the original "Company of Proprietors of the Wilts and Berks Canal Navigation" was to be finally dissolved. Certain sections of previous Acts from the reigns of George IV and William IV were repealed as part of this transition.

6. Mandatory Maintenance:
A critical provision of the Act required the new Company to "at all times keep and maintain the canal" and all its associated works in good working condition to ensure it remained navigable for all persons desiring to use it,.

7. Legal and Operational Continuity:
To ensure a smooth transition, all existing bylaws, resolutions, conveyances, and contracts remained in force. Any ongoing legal actions involving the old company were to continue with the new Company substituted as a party.

8. Governance Structure:
The board was to consist of between five and nine directors, with the qualification for the role being the possession of at least ten shares. The Thames and Severn Canal Company was also granted the right to appoint one member to the board of directors.

9. Public Works and Infrastructure:
Local boards, such as the Swindon New Town Local Board, were granted the right to erect bridges or lay gas and water pipes over or under the canal, provided they did not permanently obstruct navigation or traffic.

10. Distribution of Proceeds:
The purchase money was used first to discharge the old company's debts and liabilities; the remaining balance was distributed rateably among the shareholders of the original company. Any funds unclaimed for twelve months were to be paid into the High Court of Justice.

Reference: Parliament Local Act, 39 & 40 Victoria I, c. lix (59). 27th June 1876. 1914 - Act of Abandonment

The Swindon Corporation Act 1914 authorized the abandonment of the derelict Wilts and Berks Canal. It facilitated the transfer of canal lands and the Coate Reservoir to the local corporation for public use, debt clearance, and land disposal while ensuring water rights.

1. Purpose of the Act:
The legislation authorizes the transfer of the Swindon Canal site and Coate Reservoir to the Swindon Corporation, the abandonment of the remaining portions of the canal, and the eventual winding up and dissolution of the Wilts and Berks Canal Company.

2. Reason for Abandonment:
The canal system had become derelict and stagnant, posing a nuisance to inhabitants. This decline was attributed to a lack of maintenance funds and the loss of traffic following the construction of the Great Western Railway.

3. Financial Transfer:
The Swindon Corporation was required to pay the Canal Company £8,800 for the transfer of the Swindon Canal lands and Coate Reservoir.

4. Public Parks and Infrastructure:
The Corporation is empowered to use Coate Reservoir as a public park or pleasure ground and may charge for admission or activities such as boating and fishing. Additionally, the Corporation may fill in canal beds to lay out new streets or sell/lease the land for other purposes.

5. Water Supply Obligations:
Following the transfer, the Corporation must maintain a continuous daily discharge of 200,000 gallons of water into the eastern branch of the canal and 50,000 gallons into the western branch for agricultural purposes.

6. Protection of Private Interests:
The Act includes detailed protective clauses for various local landowners and estates, such as the Marquess of Lansdowne and the Rolleston Estate. These owners often retained rights of pre-emption, allowing them the first opportunity to purchase canal lands that intersected or abutted their property.

7. Winding Up the Company:
Once the transfer is complete, the Canal Company’s powers for maintenance cease, and it exists only to wind up its affairs. The Act establishes a ten-step priority list for distributing the Company's remaining assets, starting with payments to local authorities for bridge-related costs and ending with distribution among shareholders.

8. Management of Bridges:
Responsibility for many bridges carrying public highways over the canal was transferred to local authority bodies, with the Company providing a sum of £2,500 to be divided among them for bridge removal or maintenance.

Reference: Parliament Archive: Local Act, Swindon Corporation (Wilts. and Berks. Canal Abandonment) Act, c. cviii (108). 31st July 1914.

Readers of "The Wilts & Berks Canal" may have been given the impression that William Dunsford, Manager of that undertaking from 1817 to 1839, was the driving force responsible for what little success it enjoyed prior to the advent of the G.W.R. Some letters from the estate of George Butler of Woolstone near Faringdon, Berks, which have recently been deposited in the Berkshire Record Office throw doubts on whether Dunsford's efforts were always concerned with the well-being of his charge.

Butler, holder of 94 Wilts & Berks shares, whose trade was chiefly centred on Uffington Wharf, dealt in stone for local roads and was the recipient of a number of letters from traders complaining of Dunsford's management. In February 1833 Thomas Vincent of Semington Wharf states that he has been refused permission to examine the Company's books and in April 1836 he writes again complaining of the high charges levied by the Company. He states that Dunsford is too preoccupied with his own stone, coal, salt and slate trade and that it is unjust that he should have control of tonnage rates and arrange these to his own advantage. Vincent affirms that the original brick Priddy's bridge at Vastern which was in excellent condition had been taken down and replaced by a masonry one called Clarendon bridge built with stone supplied by Dunsford. He suggests that Somerset coal traders pay tonnage on returning empty boats but Dunsford's carrying Staffordshire coal do not, nor do his stone boats to the Worcester & Birmingham pay full rates. He suspects that some of these boats are actually Dunsford's property but repaired at Company expense and cites Richard Hodgson of Pewsham Lock House, the Company carpenter as witness to this.

Thomas Short of Abingdon charges Dunsford with selling stone above its real value and with buying timber of poor quality for repairs. He suspects that both Hallet, the Chairman, and Crowdy, the Chief Clerk are implicated with Dunsford and that the Committee of Management has no control over him. He refers to "the monstrous monopoly of Messrs. Dunsford and Company, unfair in principle and unjust in practice". Butler then wrote to the Kennet & Avon Company and in July 1836 received a reply from Sir James Whitley Deans Dundas confirming that Vincent had once been employed by them and that his evidence was trustworthy. The Kennet & Avon books were always available for Shareholder's inspection.

A minute from the Wilts & Berks Committee of 26 January 1837 ordered that the Clerk was to refuse any inspection of the share or minute books as it was the opinion of the meeting that a Proprietor is not warranted in calling for such an inspection. What occurred over the next two years is not known but the Committee changed their minds and at their meeting of 4 April 1839 Dunsford was ordered to meet Butler who had persisted with his request to inspect the books. Dunsford wrote to Butler on 5 April confirming that the books would be available to him. The outcome of the inspection is not recorded; it may be pure coincidence that Dunsford retired in 1839.

The deposited correspondence also contains a letter, dated 27 December 1839, from Edward Leigh Bennet, a Lechlade clergyman, referring to the spring Committee meeting. Before 1838 summer freight had been refused owing to lack of water and for that reason tolls were kept as high as the Act allowed. They would probably have to be reduced later to combat railway competition. Proprietors could expect no further improvements in dividends excepting during an exceptionally rainy summer. A site for a new reservoir was available at Tockenham and this should be built as soon as possible to enable the materials for constructing the railway to be carried. It was expected that the increased carrying possible would pay for the reservoir

Credit: Railway & Canal Historical Society, Vol 10 (1973) pp 38-9

The Wilts & Berks canal magazine ‘Dragonfly’ was named after a boat

Issue 1, November 1977:
"Our journal is named after the steam inspection launches of HR de Salis, deputy chairman of F.M.C* at the time. The second launch had many connections with W & B, being photographed in the locks at Ardington and Latton Basin. It was built at Abingdon in 1895 and its engine boiler built at Wantage"
* Fellows, Morton & Clayton

A set of glass slides held by Swindon Library shows ‘Dragonfly’ had passed along the Wilts & Berks Canal and North Wilts Canal in 1895, they don’t show ‘Dragonfly’ to the south-west of Swindon, although there is proof that it travelled along the entire canal.

H R de Salis’ book called the ‘Chronology of Inland Navigation’ was published in 1897, and at the back of the book Mr de Salis listed the journeys he had made on the inland waterways, perhaps to show his extensive knowledge. The table shows that ‘Dragonfly’ traversed the Wilts & Berks and North Wilts canals up to three times.

A published account of a pleasure trip on the Wilts and Berks Canal appeared in The Pall Mall Magazine, Vol 1 May to Oct 1893.

The authors’ journey on the Wilts and Berks Canal took place during the latter half of a three-week summer cruise, specifically during the month of August. After traveling from Reading to Bath via the Kennet and Avon Canal, they turned back to Semington to begin their passage on the Wilts and Berks, which occupied the final six days of their voyage before finishing at Abingdon.

The Experience on the Wilts and Berks Canal

The experience was characterized by the canal's narrowness, deserted nature, and the challenging condition of its infrastructure. Navigational Challenges: The canal was described as "deserted" and "out of order," with wooden bridges that were often too low for typical pleasure craft. Unlike the swing bridges on the Kennet and Avon, the Wilts and Berks featured lift bridges that moved vertically on hinges and were considered "much more troublesome" to operate. Tight Dimensions: The locks were notoriously small; some were only a few inches longer and not one inch wider than their 70-foot boat, the Ada. Although official records suggested a maximum vessel width of 6 feet 10 inches, the authors successfully navigated the 7-foot wide Ada through the locks, though they noted the walls and gates were frequently in bad condition. Water Levels and Landscape: The authors encountered "short water" (low levels) on the summit level near Swindon. The surrounding scenery towards the end of the trip consisted of "flat, wide 'fields' of pasture land" as the canal approached the Thames Valley.

Itinerary Highlights

The journey through this section included several notable stops and landmarks: Lacock and Dauntsey: They visited the "very fine old house" at Lacock Abbey and passed through Dauntsey, near Malmesbury. Swindon: They passed through New Swindon, described as a "grimy town" and home to 9,000 railway mechanics, where they also encountered the junction for the North Wilts Branch. Wantage and Abingdon: They passed the branch canal to the "sleepy old town" of Wantage before reaching Abingdon, where the canal entered the Thames and their voyage concluded.

The authors found the lockmen along this route, such as Lockman Ferris at Marston, to be generally civil and helpful, often providing the crew with fresh vegetables and flowers.

In an isolated spot along the north side of the Wilts & Berks Canal, immediately east of the Whale Bridge (built in 1804 as a stone arch bridge) across the canal on a field called Little Medgbury, a terrace of a dozen properties was built c.1841-42. These cottages were called Cetus Buildings, or Cetus Cottages (In ancient Greek, the word ketos - Latinised as cetus - denotes a large fish, a whale, or a sea monster) a pun on Whale Bridge, which had been named because of its hump-back shape.

These properties were built at right angles to the track that joined Lower Eastcott Farm and Upper Eastcott Farm. The back entrances to Cetus Buildings had steps at intervals leading down to the canal. The building was quite imposing with a classical pediment. It was visually similar to Falcon Terrace in Westcott Place, a Wilts & Berks Canal Company development that also backed onto the canal.

This circumstantial evidence has helped to maintain the long-held view of historians that the terrace was built by the Wilts & Berks Canal Company for bargees and other canal workers. Research carried out in 2014 by canal historian Jan Flanagan proved that Cetus Buildings was a private business venture by William Dunsford, who was one-time superintendent of the Wilts & Berks Canal, Edward Roden (Roden’s Sun Brewery in Highworth was associated with the Wilts & Berks Canal Company) and James Crowdy.

In 1841, the canal company sold land on either side of the Whale bridge to this trio, on which they built cottages in ‘brick, stone and slates’. Dunsford died in 1845, the same year that twelve Cetus Cottages, said to have been ‘newly erected’ and were put up for sale as part of the Crowdy estate. The 1851 census records the occupations of the cottagers (some properties were unoccupied, others had more than one worker) as:

William King, 24, coal haulier
Robert Day, 46, carter
Jacob Haines, 32, agricultural labourer
Henry Hill, 29, iron drilling labourer
George Aldridge, 26, boilermaker’s labourer
William Cook, 54, shoemaker
John Cook, 22, boilersmith
Elizabeth Cook, 19, dressmaker
George Smith, 16, groom
Thomas Garrett, 26, cattle dealer
Anne Weeks, 23, washerwoman
Thomas B. Newman, 22, groom
What is obvious is an absence of workers on the Wilts & Berks Canal.

At about the same time that Cetus Buildings were built, the Whale beer house was built adjacent, with a large yard. Here the bargees tethered their horses. Its first keeper was Jonas Head, who was first mentioned in 1841 when he was a 25 year-old beer house keeper of Eastcott. When he left in 1845, the Whale was taken over by Richard Dunn (b. Marston, Wiltshire, 1812). He titled himself ‘publican’, but at the same time was otherwise occupied as a railway plate layer for the GWR, in whose works two of his sons were also employed, one was an engine apprentice boilermaker, and the younger was a boilermaker’s labourer.

The Cetus Buildings became the south-western end of Medgbury Road when this was built in 1878 by the Trowbridge Building Society on the field formerly known as Great Medgbury. It had a terrace of 32 properties on the northern side, 35 on the southern side backing onto the canal next to Cetus Buildings, and a further 8 at right angles at the east end of the street. The Cetus Buildings were renumbered, with 1 Cetus Buildings becoming 80 Medgbury Road.

The Whale Bridge was rebuilt in 1893 as a flat span steel bridge by Swindon Corporation at a cost of £1,200. The Cetus Buildings and The Whale Hotel, as it had become known, survived until 1962 when they were swept away as part of the preparations for the construction of Fleming Way and would have stood on what in now its east bound carriageway. Whale Bridge continued to span the old and long abandoned canal bed for a few more years and was eventually removed in 1965 during the construction of Whalebridge Roundabout, which itself was removed in 2011/12 and turned into a junction as part the Kimmerfields development. The houses on the south side of Medgbury Road were demolished in the early 1980’s and replaced by Cockram Court, a council owned sheltered housing scheme, but apart from a few houses demolished in the 1960’s, the northern terrace still stands today.

Article written by Adrian Fisher

The United Commercial Syndicate took over the management of the Wilts and Berks Canal in 1891 from the 1876 Company. Under the management of W.J. Ainsworth, the Syndicate attempted to revitalize the struggling waterway through significant infrastructure investment and new operational strategies.

Financial Management and Investment

The Syndicate raised funds through several channels to support their efforts: Loans and Mortgages: They raised £4,489 by mortgaging Coate Reservoir and the annual water payments from the Great Western Railway (GWR). Lord Wantage: A major benefactor, Lord Wantage, advanced £10,000 to the Syndicate and provided the £4,489 for the mortgage, which was later transferred to him as security. Debentures: Additional capital was raised through 5 percent debentures. Infrastructure Spending: The Syndicate spent approximately £16,000 on dredging and lock repairs, which successfully put the section between Semington and Swindon into "substantially efficient working order".

The Fast Boat Experiment

In an effort to boost commerce, the Syndicate formed its own separate carrying organization. They operated a service of twelve regular fast boats. However, this venture was a failure: Lack of New Trade: The service did not create new business; instead, it simply took existing trade away from original boatmen. Financial Loss: The independent boatmen lost £840 in less than two years, and the Syndicate’s own carrying concern lost £843.

Operational Decline and Bankruptcy

Despite the initial repairs, the canal's condition deteriorated quickly. By 1894, the canal had silted up to a depth of two feet, reducing boat capacity from 35 tons to just 18 tons. By 1897, the Syndicate was practically bankrupt and convinced the canal could not be a commercial success.

The Struggle for Abandonment

The Syndicate spent years attempting to legally divest itself of the canal: Warrant of Abandonment: In 1897, they applied for a warrant of abandonment under the Railway and Canal Act of 1888 to seek relief from their liability to maintain the waterway. Opposition: Their application faced heavy opposition from Swindon traders, who viewed the stagnant water as a "noisome" health hazard, and from landowners who relied on the canal for watering cattle. Technical Failure: A Board of Trade enquiry in 1900 ended in failure for the Syndicate due to a technicality regarding a provisional agreement they had made to keep the North Wilts branch open.

Dissolution and the 1914 Act

The Syndicate’s involvement finally ended with the 1914 Act, which authorized the transfer of Coate Reservoir and the Swindon portion of the canal to the Swindon Corporation for £10,000. The Act mandated the winding up of the Syndicate once its financial affairs were settled.

In the final distribution of funds, Lady Wantage (widow of Lord Wantage) received £7,000, which was significantly less than the total principal and interest owed to her husband's estate, which amounted to over £16,000. The Syndicate was also required to pay £2,500 to road authorities for bridge transfers before it could be fully dissolved. More Visit to the Public Records Office

United Commercial Syndicate took over the canal in 1890[1891], and although the Memorandum of Association document mentions acquisition and repair of canals and associated structures such as railways, tramways, roads, quays and wharves, it is not clear whether they were involved in business other than the canal. The first list of shareholders held at the PRO shows no-one apparently directly associated with the canal, all being from London or Essex. The Company had a nominal Capital of £50,000 divided into 500 £100 shares, and 43 shares were taken up by 31st July, 1890.

A document dated 11th February, 1891 authorises the transfer of some canal shares (numbered 170-192 and 193-209; the figures are suspect as they have been altered on the document and are difficult to read) to the Syndicate.. by January 1895, 214 shares had been taken up and four of the shareholders were from the area of the canal: Adam Twine of Wootton Bassett Edward Ormond of Wantage Henry Gerrish of Abingdon William J.Ainsworth of Swindon

It will be noted that Adam Twine was also a Director of the Canal Company. Mr Ainsworth was General Manager of the Canal for many years. Several letters are to be found asking for information from the Syndicate which should have been submitted to the Companies Registration Office automatically and this suggests that the administrative side of the Syndicate's activities was not always as efficient as it might have been. During the period from 1900 to 1914 the number of shares taken up seems to have been constant at 214, but additional local names such as Mr Turner of Swindon and Mr James Hiskins of Trow Lane, Lyneham re-appear on the list of shareholders (both were Directors of the Canal Company).

The Balance Sheet of the Syndicate dated 31st May 1910 includes the entries: Investment (including Wilts & Berks Canal A/c) £21,797.11s.10d Loan to Wilts & Berks Canal Co. (with interest) £3,756. 4s. 3d

A further Balance Sheet dated 31st December 1915 has the same entries with the note:

'There has been no audited balance sheet since May 31st 1910 since which date business has been suspended pending obtaining the Act of Parliament dealing with the Wilts & Berks Canal'.

In a letter dated 31st October 1918 the Companies Registration Office attempts to inform the Syndicate that if it is not carrying on business it will be dissolved, and if no reply is received in one month a notice will be published in the London Gazette, striking the Company off the Register. The letter is, however, stamped with the famous Post Office mark:
"Undelivered for Reason Stated
Return to Sender"

The reason, scrawled in ink on the back, reads "Not known at 34-35 High Holborn" (according to the PRO the last recorded address of the Syndicate). We must assume that the letter was never delivered or that the Syndicate did not reply within the month, as the final document states that the United Commercial Syndicate (Company number 31911) was dissolved under Section 242 (5) of the Companies (Consolidation) Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7, Ch. 69) by notice in the London Gazette dated 30th May, 1919. The Act of Parliament which abandoned the Canal itself was dated 31st July, 1914.

Neil Rumbol.
February 1977

The history of Lacock Wharf (historically often spelled Laycock) is a record of the industrial transformation of the Wiltshire countryside. For over seventy years, this site served as a vital exchange for stone, coal, and construction materials, sustained by the meticulous management of local figures and the engineering vision of the Whitworth family.

The 1790s: Engineering and the Great Brick Production

The story began in the late 1790s as the Wilts & Berks Canal was cut through the parish of Lacock under the direction of the renowned engineer Robert Whitworth. Construction was a massive industrial undertaking, requiring a local supply of building materials. In 1797, the canal company established brick yards on the lands of Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Long.

During this year alone, records show that 159,750 bricks were manufactured at these Lacock yards at a rate of 26 shillings per thousand. These bricks were essential for the construction of the locks and bridges that would define the waterway. By 1799, the focus shifted to securing the canal’s boundaries, with laborers hired to build fences and weed the "quicks"—hawthorn hedges used to mark the company's property.

1803–1810: Infrastructure and the Tenure of Charles Pettifor

As the canal transitioned from a construction site to a working waterway, Lacock Wharf’s physical presence was formalized. In 1803, stone and lime were boated from Bradford to prepare the foundations. Between 1805 and 1806, the site’s infrastructure was completed with the building of a "speed wall" to reinforce the wharf’s edge, ensuring it could handle the weight of heavy cargo and the constant docking of narrowboats for loading and a Wharf House, which functioned as both a residence and the canal’s local administrative hub.

By 1810, Charles Pettifor emerged as the central operational figure. Serving as the lock-keeper at "Laycock-Lock" for many years, Pettifor was responsible for managing boat traffic and overseeing the maintenance of the canal section between Semington and Foxham. His work ensured the waterway remained navigable, involving frequent repairs to the towing paths and the wing walls of the nearby locks.

1817–1820: George Banks and Early Maintenance

By 1817, the aging masonry of the canal required expert attention. George Banks, a skilled mason and bricklayer, was employed by the company to perform vital repairs on the bridges and locks near Lacock. While Banks was initially a contractor for these structural works, his family name would eventually become synonymous with the management of the wharf for the next half-century.

The 1820s: Commercial Peak, Thomas Jefferies, and the Whitworth Legacy

The 1820s represented the commercial height of Lacock Wharf. During this decade, Thomas Jefferies served as the official Lacock Wharfinger. He managed the daily administration of the wharf, particularly the heavy trade in "Corn Grit" or ground stone used for major urban building projects.

This era also saw the continued involvement of the Whitworth family. William Whitworth (associated with the Stanley and Lacock areas) was a prominent figure who rented the Lacock Wharf House from the canal company. His presence underscored a long-standing family connection to the waterway's success.

Managing a busy warehouse required attention to detail, including pest control. Between 1825 and 1829, the company regularly paid J. Johnson specifically for rat catching within the Lacock Wharf Warehouse to ensure that stored goods remained undamaged.

1830s–1850s: The Railway Transition and the Banks Dynasty

As the 1830s began, the wharf adapted to the arrival of the railway age, landing materials for the new iron roads that would eventually supersede the canal. Maintenance remained a constant challenge, particularly stabilizing the "slips"—landslides in the steep ground near Lacock.

By the mid-19th century, the management of the site had officially transitioned to the Banks family. George Banks was recorded as the salaried Wharfinger during the 1840s and 1850s. Under his leadership, the wharf remained a hub for local trade, including a steady flow of coal for local smiths and household use.

1860s–1870s: Elizabeth Banks and the Final Years

In the canal's final active decades, the Banks family legacy was maintained by Elizabeth Banks. Appearing in the records through the late 1860s and early 1870s, she managed administrative matters such as water rights and site compensation. Her tenure marked the final chapter of a family dynasty that had stewarded Lacock Wharf from its industrial peak into its twilight years.

WHERE BEAUTY LINGERS ON THE WILTS AND BERKS CANAL
By ALAN J. SEAL

IT was during that strange period of our industrial history known as the age of "canal mania" that the Wilts and Berks Canal was first mooted. An east-west waterway link in southern England had always been regarded as a potential necessity, but the first attempt, the Thames-Severn Canal, had failed.

The Thames-Severn had been built to enter the Thames at Inglesham, Wiltshire, near Lechlade, but the Thames commissioners had not kept their promise to make the Thames navigable above Oxford as far as Lechlade, and so that project had come to a halt.

When the Wilts and Berks started to become a reality, in the 1790s, only the river navigations of the Kennet and Avon were complete, and it was on the Avon navigation at Semington, Wiltshire, that the Wilts and Berks began. It was originally intended to take a line of some 55 miles to Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The line was, however, shortened slightly, eventually covering only 51 miles. The Wilts and Berks took some 15 years to complete, and the company could not sell enough of its shares fast enough to meet its costs as they arose. The canal therefore had to be opened in stages so as to earn money as soon as possible. It reached the then village of Swindon in 1804, where it obtained its original water supply, pumped from a well. Reservoirs later fed the canal from Coate and Tockenham.

One of the main purposes of the Wilts and Berks was to carry coal from Somerset, via the Somerset Coal Canal, to London or intermediate points of demand. About two-thirds of the eastbound cargo was Somerset coal, the rest being agricultural produce, stone, manure, corn and salt. The canal was finally completed to Abingdon on September 22, 1810. By this time, it had cost over £250,000, and the shares sold still left a deficit of some £30,000, which had to be covered by borrowing. Apart from the main line, there were four short branch lines to Chippenham, Calne, Longcot and Wantage.

The basis of the financial difficulties that continued to haunt the canal was that all its traffic was west to east and there were relatively few back loads. The directors at the time, however, were nothing if not enterprising and, after a little "arm-twisting", obtained the consent and some financial backing from the Thames-Severn company to link the two canals by the building of what was to be known as the North Wilts Canal. The agreement was reached in 1812, and the canal was completed from Swindon to Latton in 1819. By means of this link, the Wilts and Berks could obtain coal loads and other produce from the Forest of Dean, and the Thames-Severn could connect with the navigable Thames via the Wilts and Berks.

Still enterprising, by 1830 the Wilts and Berks company, in conjunction with the Avon navigation, was running an express passenger ("fly-boat") service on the route Bristol/Melksham/Abingdon. Then, however, the Wilts and Berks directors suddenly became commercially myopic.

The Great Western Railway Company was seeking an Act of Parliament to enable it to build a line between Abingdon and Chippenham and Calne. Not only did the Wilts and Berks directors fail to oppose the Bill, but they actually agreed to carry the materials for the GWR. What better way of signing one's own death warrant?

To start with, the Wilts and Berks Canal flourished, and in 1840 achieved the highest level of toll collection in its history. The railway opened in 1841, and by 1843 the canal tolls had fallen to little more than a third of the 1840 figure. This did not work proportionately with the number of boats using the canal, as different types of goods were charged different toll rates. The railway had taken the most profitable ones and left the lowest-rated goods to the canal. Thus, the fall in tolls revenue did little to reduce the canal's operating costs of the canal.

Many and varied were the discussions and suggestions for saving the life of the canal. The directors were in favour of petitioning Parliament for an Act of Closure by 1874, but some merchants opposed the proposal and the petition failed. A new company was formed and took over the canal in 1877. It had bought the canal for considerably less than it had cost to build and thus had a very much smaller capital. The canal was leased to a syndicate of Bristol merchants in 1882, and the new company was able to pay a higher percentage dividend than ever the old one had. However, all attempts to revive the canal failed: traffic through ended in 1906, the Act of Abandonment being granted in 1914 on the petition of Swindon Corporation.

That really ends the history of the Wilts and Berks but, even to this day, it remains a joy to the interested walker and, in many parts, an added beauty to the landscape. Many of the old canal buildings still exist, several having been converted into modern homes. The explorer will see a number of names like Wharf Road, Wharf House or Canal Cottage along the line indicated on the Ordnance Survey map.

Traces of old locks still can be found. There were 45, including some on the branch lines, but the searcher today will probably discover the most rewarding "finds" among the 24 that take the canal up 190ft to its summit, progressively from Semington to Wootton Bassett. The summit ends at South Marston (not actually shown on the map as part of the canal). The Wilts and Berks then descends some 164ft through 18 locks to Abingdon.

Over the years, the old canal was gradually destroyed. Bridges were crushed to remove the humps, even as late as 1971 or 1972, but it was still possible to look across a ploughed field and to see the unmistakable row of trees winding their way into the far distance, the line of yellow that followed that row of trees indicating that the clay puddle of the canal had only recently been ploughed up.

In July 1977 Mr Neil Rumbol wrote to a waterway magazine, asking for support (financial and practical) to form a society that would survey the remains of the Wilts and Berks and preserve or even restore as much as possible. Support was forthcoming, and in October 1977, the Wilts and Berks Canal Amenity Group was formed. Progress is reported to members in the regular journal, Dragon Fly, and several papers have been published, both on the remains of the canal and on proposals for the future.

There has been an ever-increasing degree of physical activity by Group members and other helpers. Around 100 Cub Scouts turned out for the clearance project at Kingshill as part of their task to earn their conservation badges. The Group has also produced a map showing the whole canal as it was, plus the modern developments that have destroyed parts of it.