STATUS
We have permission to work on a section north of Forest Brook Culvert, fot the first two farms length.
The remainder of the section, up to the Bell Inn, is under low-level ongoing negotiation.
Features:
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What Jack Dalby said in 1985
North of Melksham, up to the embankment over Forest Brook at 914656 all trace of the canal, inckuding Melksham Forest Lock and an arch bridge have disappeared. Beyond the brook with its brick and stone culvert 300 metres of bed are visible but beyond the lane crossing at 916659 infilling is in progress. Either side of the track to Queenfield the canal is infilled but the bed can be found again at 924666. From here to within 100 metres of the site of Laycock Wharf at 926680 (1.4 km) the canal is substantially intact.There is a delightful little culvert at 925688; alongside a deep trench has been cut across the embankment. Queensfield Lock at 926670 is full of rubbish. The tail bridge is still in use. Just before the remains of Laycock Lock (924674) the bed has been converted into a slurry pit. North of the lock are the remains of Stroud Bridge (927676).
Meadow Bridge. The 1901 O.S. map shows an accommodation
bridge at this point; where Melksham ends and open country begins.
Across the next field, the towpath hedge survives, though the Canal is not otherwise visible. The field is traversed by a farm track, shown as a footpath on the 1901 O.S. map but not marked as a footpath on curent maps. This once crossed the Canal on an
Accommodation bridge. Shown on the 1901 O.S. map, immediately north of Milestone 3. This will probably have to be re-built.
At the north boundary of the field is Forest Brook, which crosses the Canal under
| Forest Brook Culvert. The east parapet is in poor condition, with trees growing out of it; the west portal (pictured) started collapsing in 1999. It appears to be about 4' in diameter, and under an embankment about 10' high. Clearance started in late 1998. |  |
From here the Canal is in water - in the wet season, anyway - but heavily
overgrown. Clearance started in 1998 and the towpath is now clear, and the Canal bed sports a magnificent crop of yellow irises.
The next stretch of Canal is in water. At the next field boundary, roughly where the prominent tree is in the right hand picture above, the land changes ownership. There is a plank bridge across the Canal at this point. Clearance of the section up to the plank bridge started in 1999; fantastic progress has been made, and it now looks like a real canal.
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The Canal continues for 565 yds. to the next track crossing.
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The watered section continues for a short distance and the bed is then
infilled. There are a number of lumps of masonry at the end of the watered secrion which appear to be canal-related (from the apparent age of the bricks, and from the use of English Garden Wall bond on thick sections) which suggest they may have come from a Canal bridge. Whether here or not, requires investigation. |
| Drawbridge 16.6.1998 (marked as such on the 1901 O.S. map)
The approaches are such that this could probably be rebuilt as an arch or an accommodation bridge. This is the view looking north along the infilled line of the Canal. 16.6.1998The bed is filled for some distance north of this crossing. At one point there are some stables on a concrete base on the line. |
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| At 920663 a leat enters, fed from above a small dam on Forest Brook
at 924660, which is maintained in good condition. The leat is rather overgrown
and silted up but is still flowing.
At the entry point to the Canal it appears to have been culverted through the infilled bed |
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| Beyond the infilled section the Canal is again in water, rising onto
an embankment to cross a brook (Queenfield Brook or Frogditch).
View looking north; it doesn't look much but there is a good watered section among the undergrowth. |
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Culvert or Aqueduct
The Allen & Harris Report states that it is in good condition
However when inspected on 9.4.1999 the eastern half or so had collapsed
and a cut had been made across the bed of the Canal to carry the stream.
It appears to be a semicircular arch of anout 5 or 6 ft diameter.
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16.1.1998 |
16.6.1998 There's a better picture in the Allen & Harris Report. |
The site was re-inspected on 8.4.1999, when the vegetation was not so rampant.
One spandrel wall of the bridge was found, and some of the parapet coping
stones, still with their iron connecting straps.
The lock appears to be about half full of soft silt.
It is in poor condition, with little brickwork visible. The top cill
appears to be totally missing.
From here northwards the bed is clear and the towpath is walkable with some difficulty nearly up to the Roman Road. Just before, there is about 50 yards of infill, mostly rubble, and this is topped with an enormous dungheap.
Roman Bridge
Presumably there was a bridge here initially, but no traces are now
visible. The Roman road, now a farm track, crosses the Canal on infill;
pretty deep, as the Canal is in a slight cutting here.
North of the bridge site the Canal is unobstructed though heavily overgrown, and contains some water, up to
Lacock Lock
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This was a pleasant surprise when visited on 8.4.1999. The lock is not substantially infilled, just the usual silt and debris, and the walls are to the full height in places. The top cill is to its full height. There is considerable tree damage and the whole structure is in poor condition. |
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Stroud Bridge
Unexplored. Crossed by public footpath.
Restoration started in Q4/1998. At the end of the 1998/9 scrub bashing
season, the towpath was walkable from Forest Brook Aqueduct to the Plank
Bridge.
In 2000, permission was given to work on Queenfield farm, the next farm to the north. Considerable progress was made on clearing the towpath in winter 2000/01, until the Foot and Mouth epidemic struck.
In 2003, the Canal had been cleared past the Head of Navigetion north of the Plank Bridge, and regular strimming was done from here to Forest Brook Culvert.
Plans are being made to build a spillweir adjacent to Forest Brook
Aqueduct and to rebuild Bezzles Bridge, possibly slightly further south
as the alignment of the farm roads makes the previous site difficult.
Forest Brook culvert has sufferred a partial collapse at the western end. Plans are in place to repair this during a Canal Camp in 2003.
Permission was obtained in 2002 to continue clearance north of the Plank Bridge.
Approaching Lacock Wharf Bridge, the Canal runs alongside the carpark of the Bell Inn, in the adjoining property.
There is no visible sign of the bridge.
The line is crossed by footpaths at the drawbridge south of Queenfield
Farm, Queenfield Bridge and Stroud Bridge.
The path which diverts to the west of the Canal line at Meadow Bridge,
going north, may be proposed for diversion onto the towpath. This would
make a lot of sense.
Leat from Forest Brook.
The Bell Inn at Lacock, adjacent to Lacock Bridge. Several real ales, no
fizz! Good menu. Very supportive of the Canal.
Half a mile or so up the hill to the east is the Rising Sun, a Moles pub. Excellent range of Moles beers, which I personally rate very highly. The food here is rather expensive and I have not sampled it myself.
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