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Heritage Restorers Three hundred and fifty enthusiasts with a single aim: TO BREATHE LIFE INTO THE LONGEST UNRESTORED CANAL IN THE COUNTRY - A ROUTE MANY DO NOT KNOW EXISTS Travelling miles across country to spend a couple of days standing knee deep in mud and water, slashing down head-high weeds and chopping down 60 ft high trees may seem an unusual way to spend a weekend. Especially if at the end of a gruelling nine hour day in all weathers you spend the night sleeping on the floor of a village hall. But to a dedicated band of volunteers such an experience is a pleasure-prompted by the knowledge that their efforts are bringing back to life part of our heritage. A part that few people realise is on their doorstep.
Such is the enthusiasm shown by those determined to ensure the old Wilts and Berks Canal slicing through some of the most beautiful sections of the county once again is a visual feature of the landscape. Much of the 53 mile stretch linking the Thames and Kennet and Avon canals cannot be seen-yet. But this is a sad state of things is being rectified as trees come down, stumps are up-rooted, locks are repaired, undergrowth is cleared and tons of silt built up over the past 80 years are removed. The Wilts and Berks Canal Amenity Group has already achieved much in the past ten years, opening up several small stretches. A milestone was reached this year when Lord Shelburne officially opened Chaveywell Wharf at Calne. A boat procession and jazz band heralded a major point of progress in a programme to open up the longest un-restored canal in the country. Much of the work carried out by the volunteers is unseen by the general public, so isolated are many of the locations in which they toil. I tracked down a group down a narrow country lane on the outskirts of Lyneham. Members of the Wootton Bassett Canal Restoration Group had been joined by more than 20 enthusiasts from the Kent and East Sussex Canal Restoration Group working along a stretch known as Seven Locks. The temperature was in the mid 70s, yet the work only slackened with the welcome appearance of a `water carrier'. They had started at 9 am and would carry on until 4 pm when they would then head for home. But the previous day they had worked from 9 am to 6 pm before collapsing in their sleeping bags on the floor of Lyneham Village Hall. I had to stumble along a deeply rutted track past towering trees and head-high grass and wild flowers to find most of the perspiring helpers. Some were perched at the bottom of the old canal attempting to define its original route; others sat atop 14 ft high walls repairing brickwork. The seven locks, spanning an area of 600 yards, were being examined to see what could be salvaged.
With me was John Allen, an airman from RAF Lyneham, who is one of the driving forces behind the local support group and British Eurospace electronics engineer Peter Smith from London who has been a canal restoration enthusiast for 12 years. Visiting group leader Ken Parish from Kent, a British Telecom engineer and a member of the Waterways Recovery Group, was on hand to advise. Under their guidance the group of nurses, university students, an ambulance man and others – ‘A whole cross section of people from all walks of life’-maintained non stop activity. “We know what we are attempting will take years, but this canal holds an important place in our heritage and we are all determined that eventually it will provide the county with an out-standing visual attraction and amenity." John Allen was speaking on behalf of everyone.
He added: "It is essential we create increased public awareness in what we are doing and get more supporters and volunteers. Many people are ignorant of the fact that they are living almost on top of an old canal. We now have an enthusiastic support group in Wootton Bassett, where many people are unaware of the existence of the canal. In addition to the work at Seven Locks we have been working at Dauntsey Banks, Foxham and con-ducting engineering studies around the town." “As the canal was constructed so as to blend into the countryside, we have a very valuable asset on our hands. We know that with public support the canal can become a working and enjoyable reality and retake its place in future Wiltshire history." Mr Allen, who lives at Templar’s Firs, Wootton Bassett, was at one time one of those local residents who did not realise their homes overlooked the old canal. Although the manual work is of the utmost importance, it is only part of the ambitious project. Helpers are needed to discuss with individual landowners the obtaining of permission to work along the canal route. The immensity of such a task can be judged by the fact that between Melksham and Seven Locks there are 75 different landowners! Others are needed to carry out intensive research on the history of the canal, which was fully opened by 1810 and closed in 1914. A constant research programme is on the go to seek out old documents and photographs. Putting Seven Locks back together again is described as “an immense jig saw puzzle” by Peter Smith. “What we have here is like a time capsule” he felt. “We want to restore it to some-thing like its original appearance and at the same time to provide a haven for wildlife and somewhere people of all ages can enjoy. The locks are in a terrible condition-but nothing we can-not handle. At the moment it is just a skeleton, but by rebuilding and rein-forcing the locks, using as much of the original brick work as can be salvaged, it will be an area of considerable beauty”. Once the canal's route has been cleared, work will continue to maintain towpaths and keep down acres of weeds. But a vital part of the project before that stage is reached is to keep a close eye on development plans to ensure the route is unaffected by housing schemes and road improvements. With detailed planning, having a canal close to a housing development could be an attractive feature of the landscape, feels the restoration group, and some members envisage a towpath cycle way running all the way from Lyneham to Swindon. The canal could also become a major tourist attraction-and not just in the countryside. If it became a living waterway again it is thought that it could make Swindon the centre of a navigable waterway network extending for more than 170 miles.
Meanwhile, the work goes on. At Seven Locks it is hoped to get water into a 100 yard stretch between locks numbered two and three by this winter. Rebuilding No 4 lock progresses, despite the fact that half of it was demolished by the army during the war, being used for demolition practice. “Trees we cut down are sprouting again, weeds we cleared are eight feet tall" said John Allen. “So we are facing quite a challenge. If we cannot restore all the canal in our generation we can at least safeguard its route, so that future generations can have the opportunity to restore it.” It is somewhat ironic that the volunteers who work so hard at Seven Locks at weekends do so within yards of a busy railway line built by Brunel. The canal was used to transport materials for the construction of the line. A line which killed off the canal.
Bill Charlton
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