TV presenter and historian Sir Tony Robinson is backing a campaign calling on people in Wiltshire to rediscover and reinstate derelict historic canals which helped shape the county and make Britain the world’s first industrial nation.
As part of the campaign the Canal & River Trust, which cares for 2,000 miles of working waterways in England and Wales, is today publishing an online map to inspire people to unearth more of their local history, The map will enable people to explore lost canals and find out about their history and support the local restoration groups working to restore them In Wiltshire, the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is leading a restoration project aiming to reinstate the canal link between the River Thames at Abingdon and the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham via Swindon.
The Cotswold Canals Trust is also working to restore the Thames & Severn Canal, from its junction with the Stroudwater Navigation in Stroud though to the River Thames.
Sir Tony Robinson said: “The waterway network is part of the fabric of our nation but it’s easy to forget that not so very long ago some of our most popular canals were almost lost forever.”
The map is at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/restoration.
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