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.
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