Boats near the top of the Caen Hill Flight of locks
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Boats near the top of the Caen Hill Flight of locks by Marathon as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Boats near the top of the Caen Hill Flight of locks
Image: © Marathon Taken: 13 Feb 2019
When the architect and engineer John Rennie recommended routing the Kennet & Avon Canal through Devizes on the way to Bath he had to overcome a major obstacle at Devizes where the high ground of the Vale of Pewsey drops 237 feet towards the Avon Valley within two and a half miles. The Caen Hill Flight was the result which forms part of the Devizes Flight of 29 locks and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Waterways – see https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-history/history-features-and-articles/the-seven-wonders-of-the-waterways?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-sGZ1LrL4AIVjZXtCh2LTAsBEAAYASAAEgIv6PD_BwE Caen Hill Flight was the last stretch of the Kennet & Avon Canal to be completed in 1810 and after almost being abandoned after 1955 has now been fully restored. This is near the top of the flight, just past the Canal & River Trust Offices and the Tea Room. As repairs were being carried out on the locks during the winter, a number of narrow boats were at the top unable to descend through the flight.
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Image Location
Latitude
51.352575
Longitude
-2.016895