BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KENNET & AVON CANAL AROUND BRADFORD ON AVON

Bradford on Avon straddles the River Avon and was historically a ‘broad ford’ through the river. The town wealth was founded on the woollen trade with a number of mills powered by the River Avon. The town has a number of interesting historical buildings such as a Saxon church, one of the largest and best preserved Tithe Barns in the country, the Shambles and a 14th century double-arched bridge over the river. The bridge also has a small lock-up which housed prisoners overnight. The Kennet & Avon Canal runs parallel with the Avon, approximately 500 metres to the south of the river.

In 1794 the Scottish engineer, John Rennie, started work on the construction of the 57 mile long canal, linking the rivers Kennet and Avon, and the first turf was cut at Bradford on Avon in October of that same year. The complete waterway between Bristol and London was eventually opened in December 1810. The canal was very profitable initially, carrying cargoes of Bath stone and coal from the North Somerset coalfields. However, in the 1830s the canal carried a cargo which would lead to it's own demise.  It carried rails and sleepers for the Great Western railway, which opened in 1841, linking Bristol and London. Canal traffic declined rapidly thereafter with much of the canal falling into disrepair over the next 80 to 90 years. In fact, during World War II the canal was used an anti-tank ditch! Some 6 miles to the east of Bradford on Avon one can still see large concrete blocks which were used as tank traps along the side of the canal.

When the canal was first built, Lock 14 at Bradford on Avon was the deepest on the canal; it has a rise and fall of 10 feet 3 inches and holds 70,000 gallons (320,000 litres). The deepest lock now is in Bath where, in 1970, two locks - 8 and 9 - were combined to form Bath Deep Lock, as part of a road improvement scheme; that lock is 18 feet deep. Next to Lock 14 is the old wharf warehouse along with the only operational gauging dry dock of its kind in the country. The dry dock was used by the Kennet & Avon Canal Company to test barges for their carrying capacity so tolls could be calculated. The gauging weights (painted white) can still be seen near to the lock. On the opposite side of the canal is the K&A shop and tearoom which used to be the Lock-keeper’s Cottage. The completion of the renovation and conversion of this Cottage was marked in May 2003 by a visit from HRH Prince Charles.

Two miles to the west of Bradford on Avon is the very impressive 100 metre long triple-arched Avoncliff Aqueduct, built by John Rennie in 1804. There is a prominent sagging of the centre arch which is caused by different (poorer) quality Bath stone being used during construction in 1789. Be assured, the aqueduct has been completely relined and reinforced and is deemed safe! The Cross Guns pub, adjacent to the aqueduct, is a very popular watering hole.

A further 3 miles to the west is the Dundas Aqueduct, regarded as John Rennie’s best architectural work. Between the two aqueducts the canal winds through stunning countryside with fine views over the Avon Valley towards Limpley Stoke and Monkton Combe.

The canal to the east of Bradford on Avon passes through peaceful countryside. Approximately 100 metres east of the Wharf lies the site of the clay ‘farm’ where clay was dug out to seal the canal bed; this clay was then ‘puddled’ into shape by stamping it to the correct thickness and position. There are two less grand aqueducts near Hilperton; the first is Biss Aqueduct which carries the canal over the river Biss and the second is the Ladydown which goes over a railway line. The disused Wilts & Berks Canal joined the K&A Canal near the Lock 15 at Semington. This 51-mile long canal was abandoned in 1914 and ran through Melksham, Lacock and Swindon to join the Thames at Abingdon.

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