Caen Hill Locks and Seend Lock Flight - along The Kennet and Avon Canal.

The magnificent series of locks which make up Caen Lock Flight on the Kennet and Avon Canal - situated between Rowde and Devizes.

Each of the Caen Hill Flight locks have associated pounds and the area has been laid out with paths and seating areas so that visitors can wander around and watch the narrowboats heading up and down. Lock keepers organise boats on their 2.5 or so hour trip through the Caen Hill Flight and there are restrictions on access times - currently these are from April to October 0800-1700 (boats must be clear of the hill flight by 2000) and November to March 0800-1300 (boats have to clear the Hill flight by 1530). In addition the lock keepers do like to move more than one boat at time and will ask owners to wait a short while if neccessary for the sake of water conservation.

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Prison Bridge 142

AP Herbert Lock 46

Caen Hill Locks Flight - Lock 45, Kennet and Avon Canal.

Caen Hill Flight Lock 45

Caen Hill Flight - Lock 44's lockgates, Kennet and Avon Canal.

Caen Hill Flight
Lock 44 gates

The impressive Caen Hill Lock Flight on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Caen Hill Flight

Caen Flight lock footbridge

Kennet and Avon Canal - lockgates at Caen Hill Lock Flight.

Caen Flight lockgates

Peter Lindley
Jones Lock

Kennet and Avon Canal - Caen Hill Lock Flight pound

Caen Hill Flight pound

Caen Hill Flight
Lock 29

Caen Hill Flight

Caen Locks - Lock 28, Kennet and Avon Canal.

Caen Locks 28

Marsh Lane Bridge 144

Caen Locks 27

Caen Locks 26

Caen Locks and Lock 25, Kennet and Avon Canal.

Caen Locks 25

Caen Locks 24

Caen Locks 23

Foxhanger's Footbridge 145

Caen Locks 22

Lower Foxhangers
Bridge 146

Dismantled railwaybridge 147

MartinSlade
Bridge 148

Sells Green Bridge 149

Rusty Lane
Swingbridge 151

Seend Top Lock 21

Seend Locks 20

Seend Locks 19

Seend Wharf Bridge

Seend Lock 18

Bridge 154

Seend Bottom Lock

Kennet and Avon Canal - Lowes Swing Bridge 157

Seend Farm Swingbridge 156, Kennet and Avon Canal.

Swing Bridges on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

This section of the Kennet and Avon Canal has several swing bridges along it's route mostly providing access for farmers into their fields when the canal's route cut through their land. Swing bridges were mainly used as they were much cheaper to construct and maintain than brick built arched bridges. Also where the surrounding area was quite flat this type of bridge saved a lot of earthwork having to be constructed to gain enough height over the canal. The Kennet and Avon Canal's swing bridges were amongst the first to be designed to run on ball bearings. There are several locks and bridges around Seend - the area looks very countrified and peaceful now but at one time this was a hive of activity as it was involved in the lucrative wool trade as well as some quarrying - Seend once had 3 blast furnaces until they were closed in the 1880s. Additionally Seend was on the Turnpike which was built to connect Devizes and Trowbridge and therefore part of one of the main roads between London and Bath.

The Wilts and Berks Canal and Buckley's Lock 15.

Buckleys Lock is quite significant because this is where the currently extinct Wilts and Berks Canal main line leaves the Kennet and Avon Canal - the Wilts and Berks used to go some 52 miles across the countryside via Swindon to give a connection with the River Thames at Abingdon in Oxfordshire. Take a look at the Wilts and Berks Trust site for lots of information - they have plans for a complete restoration of the canal and any support is most welcome.

Newton swingbridge

Semington Top Lock 16

Buckleys Lock 15

Semington Bridge 160

Semington Swing
Bridge 161

Whaddon Grove
Bridge 162

Hilperton Marsh
Bridge 165

Hilperton Roadbridge 166

Hilperton Wharf Marina

Balls Bridge 168

Biss Aqueduct 7

Pipe at Bis Aqueduct

The section preceding the above is on our Kennet and Avon Canal walking from Bruce Tunnel to Devizes
and the next part of the canal is covered by our Kennet and Avon Canal via Bradford-on-Avon, Avoncliffe Aqueduct, Bathampton
Please see our Visiting The Kennet and Avon Canal in England Home Page for all items on the canal.

Other items about England include The Grand Union Canal, The Stratford-on-Avon Canal and The Regents Canal - lots of walks in England including walking The Thames Path.
These can all be found via our Site Resources page.
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