The restoration of the historic Wilts & Berks Canal has taken another major step forward, with work now underway to reconnect a former flight of locks with the restored waterway.
Volunteers from the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust have begun clearing Bottom Lock at Pewsham, near Chippenham, marking the next phase in a long-running project to restore the canal.
The Pewsham flight of three locks once lifted narrowboats almost 30 feet on their journey between Melksham and Chippenham. In the nineteenth century, the site was home to a lock keeper's cottage, wharf and carpenter's workshop.
The latest work follows the completion of a restored dry dock and a new bridge at the top of the lock flight. Once Bottom Lock has been restored and connected to the canal leading towards Lacock, work will begin on rebuilding the two remaining locks.
The project is being carried out by members of the trust's Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch, with support from volunteers from canal restoration groups across the UK.
Project lead Roger Noyce said: "Once the lock is restored and we've cleared the pound above so that it can hold water again, we'll be able to move trip boats and work boats from the restored canal into the dry dock whenever they need repairs.
"Teams have been excavating the southern entrance so that we can rebuild the wing walls and carefully removing loose bricks and roots from the lock chamber itself. Hopefully we can clean and reuse many of the bricks at a later stage.
"Teams have also been casting new coping stones along the top of the lock.
"It's time-consuming work but we've received fantastic support from partners including the Waterways Recovery Group and the Kent and East Sussex Canal Restoration Group, who kindly provided their own volunteers to support us.
"However, it's a major project so we'd welcome any additional help, particularly with fundraising.
"The more support we receive, the sooner we can bring this wonderful waterway back to life."
The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is working to restore the historic waterway between the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham and the Thames & Severn Canal near Cricklade, with a link to the River Thames near Abingdon. The restored route will eventually reconnect communities including Chippenham, Calne, Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon.
For more information or to support the project, visit www.wbct.org.uk.
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