Work on the canal link between the River Kennet at Newbury and the River Avon at Bath started in 1794. In the early plans, the route did not go through Devizes but, following the personal intervention by the 3 Members of Parliament representing the Devizes area, the line after Pewsey was redrawn to route through Devizes and thence to Trowbridge and on to Bradford on Avon.

By 1801, the navigation was open between Bath (not the River Avon, though) and Foxhangers Farm at the bottom of what we today know as Caen Hill Flight (pronounced ‘Cane’). From 1802, a double-track iron railway on wooden sleepers linked the canal with the town. In 1809, the canal was navigable from Newbury to Devizes, leaving just the Caen Hill Flight of 29 locks to be completed. Completion of the Caen Hill Flight was delayed by a shortage of bricks because the building of the Bruce Tunnel had required more bricks than had been estimated. Devizes Locks were finally opened without ceremony on 28th December 1810. The connection with the River Avon had been completed earlier in 1810 so, from the opening of Caen Hill, it was at last possible to navigate from Bristol to London via Bath, Newbury and Reading.

The canal trade developed and thrived in the subsequent years, and shareholders were enjoying dividends on their investments. One improvement in the canal was the provision of lighting, in 1829, on the Caen Hill Flight, thus permitting, for the fee of one shilling per barge, night-time operations. Despite the threat of railway competition, the canal continued to thrive in the years 1835 -1855, part of this prosperity being due to the carriage of building materials for railway construction. It was to be those same railways that later caused the canal’s demise and, eventually, the threat of abandonment.

For further information on the Canal’s history, follow this link to view the Canal Heritage pages.