Location | Devizes, Wiltshire, England |
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Website | Kennet 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]