Kennet and Avon Canal Museum

Kennet and Avon Canal Museum
Water with two narrow boats and bridge. On the far side is a white coloured building displaying a banner which says Canal Museum and Shop.
Map
LocationDevizes, Wiltshire, England
WebsiteKennet and Avon Canal Museum

The Kennet and Avon Canal Museum is a museum in Devizes, Wiltshire, England, covering the history of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

The museum is housed in a former bonded warehouse at Devizes Wharf, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Caen Hill Flight.[1] The building was at one time used to store wine brought up the canal after being imported through Bristol Harbour.[2][3]

The museum is operated by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, which also has its headquarters and a shop within the building.[4]

The museum houses memorabilia, papers and photographs relating to the canal,[5] which was constructed between 1794 and 1810. After falling into disuse in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the canal was restored and formally reopened in 1990;[6] the visitor book at the museum was signed by Queen Elizabeth II upon this reopening.[7] The museum also holds models of locks and narrowboats, along with traditionally decorated implements traditionally used on the working boats.[2]

  1. ^ "Kennet & Avon Canal Museum". Steam Heritage. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b Allsop, Niall (1989). The Kennet & Avon Canal (2 ed.). Millstream Books. p. 29. ISBN 9780948975158.
  3. ^ Pearson, Michael (2007). Pearson's Canal Companion Kennet and Avon, River Thames: Oxford, Reading, Brentford (2 ed.). Central Waterways Supplies - Wayzgoose. ISBN 978-0954911676.
  4. ^ "Kennet and Avon Canal, Devizes Wharf and Caen Hill Locks". Destination Devizes. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  5. ^ "The Kennet and Avon Canal Museum". Culture 24. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Explore the Kennet and Avon Canal". Bradford on Avon Museum. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Devizes Caen Hill Locks - Wiltshire". Wiltshire Tourist Guide. Retrieved 3 September 2016.