Kennet & Avon Canal

In 1997 the Kennet & Avon Canal received the largest award to date from the Heritage Lottery Fund, in recognition of the national importance of the canal's heritage.

The Kennet & Avon Canal is the only surviving east-west operational canal in southern England. It comprises two eighteenth century river navigations, linked by a 56-mile long artificial canal. The Canal has 106 locks, three tunnels and two spectacular stone aqueducts: Avoncliff and Dundas, which were designed by John Rennie.

The Kennet & Avon Canal passes through six national character areas. The quality of the landscape is notable and includes the Cotswolds and North Wessex Downs Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 24 Conservation Areas and Bath World Heritage Site. Much of the River Kennet is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) whilst ten other SSSIs, recognised for their ecological or geological value, lie within the canal corridor or on adjacent land.

The Kennet & Avon Canal has a wide visitor catchment: an estimated 1,395,000 people live near the waterway. The canal's significance as a leisure amenity is inextricably linked to its landscape, ecological and historic value and its active use as a navigation.

Kennet & Avon Case Study
- Caen Hill Lock Flight

The Caen Hill Lock Flight, which consists of 16 locks with accompanying side ponds, has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage.

In just over two miles, 29 locks were constructed, 16 of these placed closely at Caen Hill. This impressive flight of locks is regarded as one of the wonders of the inland waterways.

The biodiversity at the site is exciting, with water voles, bats, breeding birds and badgers all living in or around the side ponds, amongst other wildlife. Caen Hill has nine nationally or regionally rare species of water plant and around 14 different species of dragonfly.