Editing Kennet and Avon Canal (section)

==History==

===Early plans===
The idea of an east-to-west waterway link across southern England was first mentioned in [[Elizabethan era|Elizabethan]] times, between 1558 and 1603,<ref name=clew15to18>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |pp=15–18}}</ref> to take advantage of the proximity of tributaries of the rivers [[River Avon (Bristol)|Avon]] and [[River Thames|Thames]], only {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} apart at their closest. Later, around 1626, [[Henry Briggs (mathematician)|Henry Briggs]] made a [[Construction survey|survey]] of the two rivers and noted that the land between them was level and easy to dig. He proposed a canal to connect them, but following his death in 1630 the plan was dropped. After the [[English Civil War]] four [[Bill (law)|bills]] were presented to parliament, but all failed after opposition from gentry, farmers and traders worried about cheaper water transport reducing the value of fees on [[Toll road|turnpike roads]] they controlled, and cheaper produce from Wales undercutting locally produced food.<ref name=clew15to18/>

The main alternative to road transport for the carriage of goods between [[Bristol]] and London was a hazardous sea route through the [[English Channel]]. The small coastal [[sailing ship]]s of the day were often damaged by Atlantic storms, and risked being attacked by [[warship]]s of the [[French Navy]] and [[privateer]]s during a succession of conflicts with France.<ref name="hist">{{cite web | title=Kennet & Avon Canal Trust | url=http://home.btconnect.com/kenavon/history_page01.html | publisher=Kennet and Avon Canal Trust | access-date=20 September 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402150258/http://home.btconnect.com/kenavon/history_page01.html| archive-date=2 April 2012}}</ref>

===River navigations===
{{Main|Kennet Navigation|Avon Navigation}}
Plans for a waterway were shelved until the early 18th century. However, in 1715, work was authorised to make the [[River Kennet]] navigable from [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] to Newbury. Work commenced in 1718, under the supervision of surveyor and engineer [[John Hore]] of Newbury. In 1723, despite considerable local opposition, the Kennet Navigation opened, comprising stretches of natural riverbed alternating with {{convert|11|mi|km}} of artificially created lock cuts.<ref name="hist"/>

The [[River Avon (Bristol)|River Avon]] had historically been navigable from [[Bristol]] to [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], but construction of [[watermill]]s on the river in the early years of the 13th century had forced its closure. In 1727, navigation was restored, with the construction of six locks, again under the supervision of John Hore. The first cargo of "Deal boards, Pig-Lead and Meal" reached Bath in December.<ref name="hist"/><ref name=allsop4>{{harvnb |Allsop |1987 |p=4}}</ref>

The two river navigations were built independently of one another, in order to meet local needs, but they eventually led to plans to connect them and form a through route.

===Closing the gap===
[[File:John Rennie (Engineer).jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Portrait of John Rennie with white hair and wearing a white cravat and blue jacket|Surveyor [[John Rennie the Elder|John Rennie]] by [[Henry&nbsp;Raeburn]], 1810]]

====Proposals====
In 1788 a "Western Canal" was proposed to improve trade and communication links to towns such as [[Hungerford]], [[Marlborough, Wiltshire|Marlborough]], [[Calne]], [[Chippenham]] and [[Melksham]]. The following year the engineers Barns, Simcock and Weston submitted a proposed route for this canal, although there were doubts about the adequacy of the water supply. The name was changed from Western Canal to Kennet and Avon Canal to avoid confusion with the [[Grand Western Canal]], which was being proposed at the same time.<ref name=russell7to10>{{harvnb |Russell |1997 |pp=7–10}}</ref> This came in the midst of the [[Canal Mania]] period, with shares oversubscribed and reports of riotous crowds gathering outside meetings.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction">{{Cite web |title=Building the Kennet & Avon Canal |url=https://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/?view=article&amp;id=826&amp;catid=36 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk}}</ref>

In 1793 a further survey was conducted by [[John Rennie the Elder|John Rennie]], and the route of the canal was altered to take a more southerly course through [[Great Bedwyn]], [[Devizes]], [[Trowbridge]] and [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]]. The proposed route was accepted by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company, chaired by [[Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury|Charles Dundas]], and the company started to take [[Subscription (finance)|subscriptions]] from prospective shareholders. In July 1793 Rennie suggested further alterations to the route, including the construction of a tunnel in the [[Savernake Forest]].<ref name=russell7to10/>

====Organisation====
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for making a navigable canal from the river Kennet, at or near the town of Newbury, in the county of Berks, to the river Avon, at or near the city of Bath; and also certain navigable cuts therein described.
| year                  = 1794
| citation              = [[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 90
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 17 April 1794
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1796|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1798}}
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1796}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act to vary and alter the line of the canal, authorised to be made by an act passed in the thirty-fourth year of the reign of his present Majesty, intituled, "An act for making a navigable canal from the river Kennet, at or near the town or Newbury, in the county of Berks, to the river Avon, at or near the city of Bath; and also certain navigable cuts therein described;" and to amend the said act; and also to make a certain navigable cut therein described.
| year                  = 1796
| citation              = [[36 Geo. 3]]. c. 44
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 24 March 1796
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794}}
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1798}}
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1798}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act to vary the line of the Kennet and Avon canal authorised to be made by two acts passed in the thirty-forth and thirty-sixth years of the reign of his present Majesty, and also to extend the powers of and to amend the said acts.
| year                  = 1798
| citation              = [[37 Geo. 3]]. c. xviii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 7 May 1797
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1796}}
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/gbla/Geo3/38/18/pdfs/gbla_17980018_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
On 17 April 1794 the '''{{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794}}''' ([[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 90) received [[royal assent]] and construction began.

Responsibility for construction was divided across three committees: the Western District, the central Wiltshire District (which was later absorbed into the Western in 1802), and the Eastern District. These awarded contracts and had delegated financial powers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kennet and Avon Canal {{!}} Enjoy K&A {{!}} History |url=http://www.enjoykanda.co.uk/History_page_2.html#building%20the%20canal |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.enjoykanda.co.uk}}</ref> Problems with contractors occurred on multiple occasions, sometimes being overenthusiastic about tendering for multiple sections of work, failing to survey ground conditions thoroughly and encountering difficulties such as rock or natural springs.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" />

Construction began at [[Bradford-on-Avon]] in the west, and Newbury in the east, in October 1794.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kennet & Avon Canal: timeline {{!}} Bradford-on-Avon Museum |url=https://www.bradfordonavonmuseum.co.uk/archives/4891 |access-date=2024-02-08 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

====Western section: Bath to Foxhangers====
{{anchor|Foxhangers}}The first sod for the Kennet and Avon Canal was turned in Bradford-on-Avon, and soon there were wharves above and below [[Bradford Lock]].<ref name="allsop23" /> The canal was complete from Bath to Foxhangers (a farm at the western foot of Caen Hill, below Devizes)<ref name=":KYPWiltsMap">{{Cite web |title=Know Your Place |url=https://maps.bristol.gov.uk/kyp/?edition=bristol&layer=Neighbouring%20authorities&mapbase=BCC%202019%20Q2%20Basemap&overlay=1844-1888%20OS%2025%22%201st%20Edition&x=403958.71&y=155333.3&extent=574.48 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=maps.bristol.gov.uk}}</ref> 6.5 years after construction started, in May 1801.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" />

====Eastern section: Newbury to Devizes====
In 1796, completion of the eastern end of the new canal from Newbury to Great Bedwyn was anticipated within 12 months;<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" /> but by July of that year, inflationary effects of the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] led labourers to take up more lucrative harvest work, and 23% of shareholders had fallen into arrears.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" /> Water springs encountered between Newbury and [[Crofton Locks|Crofton]] also caused delays.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" />

On 12 June 1797, the first section from Newbury to [[Kintbury]] was opened, with a band from the [[15th The King's Hussars|15th Regiment of Dragoons]] playing aboard the first barge to travel upstream, and chairman Charles Dundas joining the return passage back to Newbury.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" /> Construction continued uphill towards Hungerford, where seven houses in the path of the canal were demolished and a new road bridge provided. On 9 October 1798, the first cargo barge arrived in Hungerford, carrying a [[Portland stone]] staircase and Russian [[tallow]] – about {{convert|40|LT|t ST}} in all.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" /> By 2 July 1799, the canal was open as far west as Great Bedwyn. The summit beyond Great Bedwyn, and subsequent gentle descent to Devizes, remained incomplete as late as 1803.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" />

====Completion====
The final engineering task was the completion of the [[Caen Hill Locks]] at Devizes.<ref name=russell7to10/><ref name=allsop5>{{harvnb |Allsop |1987 |p=5}}</ref> While the lock flight was under construction, a [[Wagonway|horse-drawn railway]] provided a link between Foxhangers at the bottom of the flight and Devizes at the top, the remains of which can be seen under the towpath arches in the road bridges over the canal.<ref name=pearson27>{{harvnb |Pearson |2003 |p=27}}</ref>

The canal opened to through-traffic in 1810, after 16 years of construction. As well as Caen Hill Locks, other major structures included the [[Dundas Aqueduct|Dundas]] and [[Avoncliff Aqueduct|Avoncliff]] [[Navigable aqueduct|aqueducts]], the [[Bruce Tunnel]] near Savernake Forest, and the [[pumping station]]s at [[Claverton Pumping Station|Claverton]] and [[Crofton Pumping Station|Crofton]], needed to overcome water supply difficulties.

===Operation===
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Kennet and Avon Canal Company and River Kennet Navigation Act 1813
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to enable the Kennet and Avon Canal Company to raise a further Sum of Money to purchase the Shares of the River Kennet Navigation; and to amend the several Acts passed for making the said Canal.
| year                  = 1813
| citation              = [[53 Geo. 3]]. c. cxix
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 3 June 1813
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo3/53/119/pdfs/ukla_18130119_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
[[File:Kennet and Avon Canal Navigation 1808.jpg|thumb|Kennet and Avon Canal Navigation share (ticket), issued 2 April 1808]]

In 1801, trade along the canal commenced; goods initially had to be unloaded at Foxhangers at the bottom of what is now Caen Hill Locks, transported up the hill by a horse-drawn tramway, and reloaded into barges at the top. When the flight of locks opened in 1810, allowing the same vessel to navigate the entire canal, the rate of carriage per ton from London to Bath was £2&nbsp;9s&nbsp;6d. This compared well with carriage by road, which cost £6&nbsp;3s to £7 per [[long ton|ton]], and trade on the canal flourished. In 1812, the Kennet and Avon Canal Company bought the Kennet Navigation, which stretched from Newbury to the junction with the Thames at Kennet Mouth, near Reading. The purchase from Frederick Page cost £100,000, of which £70,000 was paid in cash with the balance paid back gradually. The purchase was authorised by the '''{{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Company and River Kennet Navigation Act 1813}}''' ([[53 Geo. 3]]. c. cxix), which enabled the company to raise the funds through the sale of 5,500 shares at £24 each. At the same time work was undertaken to improve the Avon Navigation, from Bristol to Bath, with the Kennet and Avon Canal Company purchasing a majority shareholding in the Avon Navigation in 1816.<ref name=clew79to80>{{harvnb| Clew |1985 |pp=79–80}}</ref>

By 1818, seventy 60-ton barges were working on the canal, the majority of the tonnage being coal and stone travelling via the [[Somerset Coal Canal]].<ref name=clew82>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=82}}</ref> The journey from Bath to Newbury took an average of three and a half days. By 1832, 300,000&nbsp;tons of freight was being carried each year and, between 1825 and 1834, the company had an annual revenue of around £45,000.<ref name=russell7to10/>

A link connecting the Kennet & Avon to the [[Basingstoke Canal]] at its Basingstoke terminus was proposed three times between 1793 and 1810, and a route was even surveyed by [[John Rennie the Younger]] in 1824, but following opposition from landowners was eventually rejected by Parliament in 1824 and 1826.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canalrivertrustwaterfront.org.uk/heritage/feature-pos3-imagined-canals/|title = Imagined canals|date = 5 July 2018}}</ref>

===Decline===
The opening of the [[Great Western Railway]] in 1841 removed much of the canal's traffic, even though the canal company lowered tariffs.<ref name=lj>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |pp=9–10}}</ref> In 1852 the railway company took over the canal's operation, levying high tolls at every [[toll point]] and reducing the amount spent on maintenance. Ice-breaking was stopped in 1857, and traders were further encouraged by preferential tolls to use the railway rather than the canal. In 1861 a new order prohibited any traffic on the canal at night, and, in 1865, boats were forced to pass through locks in pairs to reduce water loss. By 1868 the annual tonnage had fallen from 360,610 in 1848 to 210,567. In the 1870s [[water abstraction]] from the canal near [[Fobney Lock]] followed the regulations introduced in the Reading Local Board Waterworks, Sewerage, Drainage and Improvements Act of 1870, and contributed to the silting up of locks and stretches of the canal. Several wharves and stretches of towpath were closed. In 1877 the canal recorded a deficit of £1,920 and never subsequently made any profit.<ref name=clew107>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 | p=107}}</ref>

The [[Somerset Coal Canal]] and [[Wilts & Berks Canal]], which each supplied some of the trade from the [[Somerset Coalfield]] to the Kennet and Avon,<ref name=hadfield92>{{harvnb |Hadfield |1967 |p=92}}</ref> closed in 1904 and 1906 respectively. In 1926, following a loss of £18,041 the previous year,<ref name=clew136>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=136}}</ref> the Great Western Railway sought to close the canal by obtaining a Ministry of Transport Order, but the move was resisted and the company charged with improving its maintenance of the canal.<ref name="lj"/> Cargo trade continued to decline, but a few pleasure boats started to use the canal.<ref name=clew140>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=140}}</ref>

[[File:Pillbox alongside the canal - geograph.org.uk - 1340793.jpg|thumb|left|A Second World War [[Pillbox (military)|pillbox]] near [[Kintbury]]]]
During the Second World War [[British hardened field defences of World War II|a large number of concrete pillboxes]] were built as part of the [[GHQ Line|GHQ Line - Blue]] to defend against an expected German invasion; many of these are still visible along the banks of the canal.<ref>{{cite web |title=Defence Area 27 Semington / Whaddon |url=http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue//adsdata/arch-455-1/dissemination/pdf/Text_Reports/DA27_TEXT_-_SEMINGTON_-_WHADDON.pdf |page=2 |publisher=Arts and Humanities Data Service |access-date=22 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811042419/http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue//adsdata/arch-455-1/dissemination/pdf/Text_Reports/DA27_TEXT_-_SEMINGTON_-_WHADDON.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2011 }}</ref> They were generally built close to road and rail bridges, which would have formed important crossing points for enemy troops and vehicles.<ref>{{cite book |title=Bastions of Berkshire - Pillboxes of World War II |url=http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Bastions_of_Berkshire.pdf  |year=1991 |isbn=1-85163-193-3 |publisher=Hungerford Virtual Museum |access-date=12 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322155148/http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Bastions_of_Berkshire.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Loaring |first=Simon |author2=Hunt, David |title=An island in the vale |url=http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/109/island/island.html |publisher=Institute of Historic Building Conservation |date=May 2009 |access-date=12 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927074313/http://www.ihbc.org.uk/context_archive/109/island/island.html |archive-date=27 September 2011 }}</ref> After the war the [[Transport Act 1947]] transferred control of the canal to the [[British Transport Commission]], but by the 1950s large sections of the canal had been closed because of poor lock maintenance following a breach in the bank west of the [[Avoncliff Aqueduct]].<ref name=russell7to10/> The last through passage was made in 1951 by ''nb Queen''.<ref>Nicholson Guide 7, p. 59.</ref>

===Closure avoided===
[[File:Dundas Aqueduct, from south-east.jpg|thumb|[[Dundas Aqueduct]] near [[Limpley Stoke]]]]
A group supporting the restoration of the canal had been set up in the early 1950s independently of the [[Inland Waterways Association]], with which it was subsequently merged. In 1955 John Gould, a trader on the eastern section of the waterway, successfully petitioned against the commission's failure to maintain the waterway and obtained damages for loss of business. In March 1956 a clause in the British Transport Commission (no 2) Act was presented to Parliament that would have removed the right of navigation between Reading and Bath. The Act was opposed by Gould and by the local authorities along the canal.<ref name="iwakahist">{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal |url=http://www.waterways.org.uk/learning/historic_campaigns/kennet___avon_canal |publisher=Inland Waterways Association |access-date=17 May 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216120633/http://www.waterways.org.uk/learning/historic_campaigns/kennet___avon_canal |archive-date=16 February 2011 }}</ref> They were supported by a 22,000-signature petition to the Queen, brought to London from Bristol by water; parts of the canal had to be traversed by canoe.<ref name="iwakahist"/> This campaign led to an inquiry by a Parliamentary [[Select committees of the Parliament of the United Kingdom|Select Committee]]. The committee supported the suspension of the right of navigation, and the Bill passed through the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] but was amended by the [[House of Lords]] to include a clause to enforce "no further deterioration". In July 1958, the Bowes Committee published their ''Inquiry into Inland Waterways'' which specifically mentioned the Kennet and Avon finding "no justification for restoring the section from Reading to Bath".<ref name=clew156>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=156}}</ref>

A government [[white paper]] followed the Bowes Report in February 1959, recommending that an Inland Waterways Redevelopment Advisory Committee should assist schemes to regenerate canals that were no longer able to collect enough fees from tolls to pay for their upkeep. Further reports followed, and in 1962 the Advisory Committee reported that the canal should be redeveloped, and allocated £20,000 for maintenance and £20,000 to begin restoration.<ref name=clew164>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=164}}</ref> The [[Kennet and Avon Canal Trust]] was formed in 1962 to restore the canal from Reading to Bristol as a through navigation and as a public amenity. It was originally a voluntary group which had previously been known as the Kennet and Avon Canal Association. The Trust gained [[Charitable organization|charitable status]] in April and was incorporated under the [[Companies Act 1948|Companies Act]] on 6 June 1962.<ref name=lj41>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=41}}</ref> In 1963 the newly formed [[British Waterways]], which was created by the [[Transport Act 1962|Transport Act]] of the previous year, and replaced the British Transport Commission as the statutory body for inland waterways, took over the canal and, in partnership with the Trust and [[Riparian zone|riparian]] local authorities, restoration work began.<ref name="katrade">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2002 |title=Kennet & Avon Canal |url=http://www.katrade.org.uk/canal.htm |website=Kennet & Avon Trade Association |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061012095013/http://www.katrade.org.uk/canal.htm |archive-date=12 October 2006 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

===Restoration===
[[File:Devizeslockspreresotoration.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Caen Hill Locks]] in the 1970s]]
Restoration work involved a collaboration between staff from British Waterways and volunteer labour. In 1966 [[Sulhamstead Lock]] was rebuilt and the [[Puddling (engineering)|re-puddling]] of the dry section at [[Limpley Stoke]] was begun. In 1968, restoration work was undertaken on the [[Bath Locks]] and [[Burghfield Lock]]. In Reading at Bridge Street the navigable headroom had been reduced from {{convert|8|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} to {{convert|4|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} by girders added to the underside of the bridge.<ref name=clew143>{{harvnb |Clew |1985 |p=143}}</ref> This was replaced with a new bridge, enabling craft to pass more easily.<ref name="iwakahist"/> The canal was reopened from the Thames to Hungerford Wharf in July 1974.<ref name="hunghist"/> Re-puddling was a long process, so experiments with the use of heavy gauge [[polyethylene|polythene]] to line the canal were undertaken. The [[Avoncliff Aqueduct]] was lined with a concrete "cradle" and made water-tight in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Kennet and Avon Canal |url=http://www.avoncliff.co.uk/archives/792 |publisher=Avoncliff |access-date=6 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402060341/http://www.avoncliff.co.uk/archives/792 |archive-date= 2 April 2012 }}</ref>

Further works continued during the 1980s. [[Berkshire County Council]], supported by local councils, estimated that £1,275,000 was needed for works at the eastern end of the canal and commenced work on replacing some of the bridges. In [[Wiltshire]], concerns over the limited water supply to the [[summit pound]] indicated that back-pumping would be required, which increased the estimated cost for the county to £761,560. The [[Wilton Water]] reservoir was estimated to produce less than {{convert|750000|impgal|m3}} per day, and the Seend feeder only {{convert|250000|impgal|m3|abbr=on}}. [[Wessex Water|Wessex Water Authority]]<!-- its name at the time --> agreed to the extraction of {{convert|1000000|impgal|m3|abbr=on}} per day from the Avon at Claverton to be pumped east; the costs of the pumps was £175,000.<ref name=lj77>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=77}}</ref>

Various fund-raising schemes, along with some financial support from local authorities, allowed small-scale work on the locks to continue, but the projected timescales for completion were missed. In 1983 the [[Manpower Services Commission]], which had a remit to co-ordinate employment and training services in the United Kingdom, agreed to employ 50 men on work that included restoration of [[Aldermaston Lock]], its adjacent wharf, and [[Widmead Lock]]. The restoration of [[Dundas Aqueduct]] and several smaller schemes were later added to the list. Maintenance agreements were signed with local authorities along the route, while fund-raising activities continued. The [[Nacro|National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders]] sponsored a workshop, which opened in [[Shrivenham]] in 1987, to create new lock gates for the Crofton and Devizes flights. In 1988 the restoration of [[Woolhampton Lock]] was completed, but obstructions remained on either side. Frouds [[swing bridge]] could not be opened and the restoration of [[Midgham Lock]] had not been finished; both were completed the following year. Re-puddling of the Crofton pounds was carried out in 1989, along with the reconstruction of Midgham Bridge. Restoration of the turf-sided [[Monkey Marsh Lock]] proved difficult because of its status as a [[scheduled monument]], and the consequent need to protect the historic site while improving safety.<ref name=lj78to93>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |pp=78–93}}</ref>

[[File:Monkey Marsh Lock - geograph.org.uk - 333244.jpg|thumb|left|[[Monkey Marsh Lock]] built in 1723, one of only two turf-sided [[Lock (water transport)|locks]] on the Kennet and Avon Canal]]
The stretch between Reading and Newbury was completed on 17 July 1990; at a ceremony held at [[Monkey Marsh Lock]] several boats competed to be the first craft through. Concerns about the adequacy of the water supply still remained when [[Elizabeth II]] formally reopened the canal on 8 August 1990. The Queen was able to travel on the Trust's boat, ''The Rose of Hungerford'', through locks 44 and 43 on the Caen Hill flight, breaking a ceremonial tape between them.<ref name=lj101o102>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |pp=101–102}}</ref> The shortage of water was addressed in 1996 by the installation of new back pumps at the flight of 29&nbsp;locks at Caen Hill in Devizes, at a cost of £1&nbsp;million. The pumps raise water {{convert|235|ft|m}} at a rate of {{convert|300000|impgal|m3}} per hour (380&nbsp;litres per second). In October 1996,<ref name=lj120>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=120}}</ref> the Kennet & Avon Canal Partnership attracted the largest single [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]] grant awarded by the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]], £25&nbsp;million towards a £29&nbsp;million project,<ref>{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/community-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=17 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318032823/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/community-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal|archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref> to complete the restoration and to make it operational, sustainable and accessible for the enjoyment of future generations.<ref name="hunghist">{{cite web |title=The restoration of the canal |url=http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Themes/Transport/Kennet_and_Avon_Canal/The_Restoration_of_the_Canal/the_restoration_of_the_canal.html |publisher=Hungerford Virtual Museum |access-date=17 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322155104/http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Themes/Transport/Kennet_and_Avon_Canal/The_Restoration_of_the_Canal/the_restoration_of_the_canal.html |archive-date=22 March 2012 }}</ref> The work funded included complete rebuilding of Foxhangers Lock and bridge at Caen Hill, replacement of lock gates at Seend and Crofton, channel lining at Claverton, embankment repairs at Martinslade, improvements at Claverton pumping station and dredging at various sites.<ref name=lj127>{{harvnb |Lindley-Jones |2002 |p=127}}</ref> The restoration's completion was celebrated in May 2003 by a visit from [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Prince Charles' Visit|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/prince-charles-visit|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=8 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318033108/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/prince-charles-visit | archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal Museum |url=http://www.ipresent.co.uk/KA3.HTM |publisher=Interactive Presentations |access-date=19 September 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925021135/http://www.ipresent.co.uk/KA3.HTM |archive-date=25 September 2006 }}</ref> but upgrading and maintenance continues. Between 2002 and 2004, Dundas Aqueduct – which had been relined with polythene and concrete in 1984<ref name=allsop23>{{harvnb |Allsop |1987 |p=23}}</ref> without disturbing a colony of bats living under the aqueduct<ref name=pearson21>{{harvnb |Pearson |2003 |p=21}}</ref> – was further restored by the replacement of engineering bricks used by the [[Great Western Railway]] with [[Bath stone]] to match the original work.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dundas Aqueduct|url=http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=17 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318032839/http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/south-west/regeneration-projects/kennet-and-avon-canal| archive-date=18 March 2012}}</ref>

On 1 December 2004, two men died when the [[Ford N-series tractor|Ford tractor]] in which they were reversing along part of the towpath between Bridge 111 and Bridge 110 toppled into the water. British Waterways was found guilty of failing to adequately [[risk assessment|assess risk]] and fined £100,000. A subsequent dispute with their insurers gave rise to legal consideration of the meaning of certain terminology in their [[insurance policy]] concerned with liability "arising out of" the operation of a tractor.<ref>England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court), [https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2012/460.html British Waterways v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Plc (2012) EWHC 460 (Comm)] published 7 March 2012, accessed 5 October 2022</ref>

In 2011 the [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] designated the canal a national "cruiseway" as defined by the [[Transport Act 1968]]. The listing imposes a legal requirement on British Waterways to maintain the canal to a standard that ensures cruising craft can safely navigate the entire length of the waterway.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kennet & Avon Canal gains 'cruiseway' status|url=http://www.waterscape.com/features-and-articles/news/3025/kennet-and-avon-canal-gains-cruiseway-status|work=Waterscape|publisher=British Waterways|access-date=18 June 2011}}</ref> In November 2011 the navigation between Bath and Bristol was closed for several months because of safety concerns about [[Victoria Bridge, Bath|Victoria Bridge]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Update: New row over Victoria Bridge as part of river closed to boats |url=http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Update-New-row-Victoria-Bridge-river-closed-boats/story-13797253-detail/story.html |publisher=This is Bath |access-date=17 November 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117001525/http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Update-New-row-Victoria-Bridge-river-closed-boats/story-13797253-detail/story.html |archive-date=17 November 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Victoria Bridge repairs approved by Bath and North East Somerset Council |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-18439209 |access-date=12 March 2013 |date=14 June 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617070418/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-18439209 |archive-date=17 June 2012 }}</ref>