Kennet and Avon Canal
MILE 41 Pewsey, Wiltshire : KAC41.00=KAC42.00
KandAC mile 41
KandAC mile 41 - OS 1inch map, early 19th century
... now the canal is on its own, the railway going another way ...
The Kennet and Avon Canal from mile 41 to 42 is part of the Fifteen Mile Pound which roughly follows a contour line on the side of Pewsey Vale; this section passes through Pewsey. The River Avon flowing westward and the Ford Brook flowing eastward meet south of the canal and go off down the Avon Valley southwards towards Salisbury. The Great Western Railway can still be seen and heard on the south side but gets farther away from the canal. The towpath is on the south side.
There are culvert under the canal at about 41m 6, 13 and 26ch.
Pain's Bridge, Pewsey
Towpath cover of an access point to a long distance fibreoptic cable that has recently (1999?) been laid along the canal towpath by Fibreway.
A high speed train, a 125, on the London Reading Pewsey Westbury and west country railway line which bears away southerly from the canal about here.
Boat Ashcott going towards Pewsey.
Boat Ashcott going towards Pewsey. Ripples.
Haybrook House, south of Pewsey Bridge.
Pewsey White Horse, Pewsey
B for effort, E for could do better; not the best traditional canal boat painting.
A purposeful coot, Fulica atra.
Boat Emma moored east of Pewsey.
There is a culvert under the canal at about 41m 64ch.
Fishing, using long fishing poles, no reel. It seems to be more like fishing with a stick, string and bent pin - but appears to be a more advanced state of the art.
Writing letters; Sunday afternoon chore, on boat Poppytime.
Boat Longton at moorings east of Pewsey Wharf. I wish I'd taken a closer look at the pipework which seems to go into the rudder stem.
Fishing on a Sunday afternoon, near Pewsey Wharf; using 'proper' fishing rods, with reels.
Pewsey Wharf, Pewsey
Pewsey Bridge, Pewsey
A canal projected in the 1790s to link to the Andover Canal at Salisbury, would have joined the Kennet and Avon Canal about here.
Canalside house west of Pewsey Bridge, on the north, ie offside.
Cuckoo pint, or whatever your name for it is, Arum maculatum.
Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, curling up.
Milepost 42; the post is a length of bridge rail, the wooden boards and iron numbers are rarely found. These are not sturdy mileposts in the cast iron canal tradition, presumably a late re-survey?
The canal company had to have mileposts by law; they were essential for calculating tolls. The Kennet and Avon measured distances from Reading. The mileposts had the miles in arabic numerals with the quarters indicated by roman numerals.

Kennet and Avon Scrapbook 2000