An investigation of the changing nature of the western end of the Kennet and Avon canal since the early 19th century, and an evaluation of the evidence at the site and in other sources.

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Guillaume Wright 10C2                                       GCSE ‘History Around Us’ Coursework

C/W                                                                                                                        12/5/01

An investigation of the changing nature of the western end of the Kennet 

and Avon canal since the early 19th century, and an evaluation of the evidence at

the site and in other sources.

1790 Prospectus:

                  The 1790 prospectus was created to show the importance of the canal and it’s mandatory construction. The prospectus basically said that the journey from Bristol to London was slow and tedious and often required the same amount of time as a trip to the West Indies. There were also problems with the new French leader; Napoleon, who was using privateers in the channel to make sure that his continental system deprived Britain of trade and resources, by intercepting the British ships in hope of republicanism spreading to this part of Europe. The canal would therefore solve the problem of the long and dangerous journey.

                   The authors of the prospectus produced it to show the importance of the canal and all of the problems that it would solve (i.e. advertising the canal). It was, maybe a chance to exaggerate the benefits of the canal and get different groups of people on their side. There were a few major groups that the prospectus was aimed at to convince and persuade them and was the main reason that the prospectus was drawn up. They said that it would speed up trade and make it quicker and cheaper to transport goods such as coal from the Somerset Coalfields, slate, corn and American goods e.g. tobacco, rum and cotton. These attractions would bring in traders and thus more trade for the canal and more money from toll payments for cargo.

                    They used the prospectus to persuade shareholders to invest in it and use it as a business. Shareholders were enticed by the prospect of a revolutionary new idea that could give them a large dividend. This invested money would make sure that there was enough capital to build the canal and aid with other financial expenses such as labour (wages). This money would also ensure that parliament gave permission for the construction of the canal and this was important because many MPs were rich land owners at that time and the canal planners needed their permission so that the canal was able to pass through their land.

Widcombe Flight:

                     There is not a lot of evidence to support the justification for the canal as put forward in the prospectus at Wicombe Flight. In general there is more evidence to suggest trade within Britain being a major reason for the canal’s construction i.e. Bristol to London (Tilbury) rather than trade from America to London via Bristol e.g. barley from Bradford-on-Avon, used in the malt house on the side of the canal. The only evidence that suggests this American trade link is the Sydney Wharf warehouses which may have been used to store some American goods e.g. sugar cane and cotton, in transit to London. It’s difficult to find any more good evidence because warehouses have been converted and used for different purposes such as residential homes. The atmosphere has also changed with much less trade going on and more tourists on a quiet holiday, making it harder to imagine the trade that went on in the 19th century.

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                      The canal’s uses have changed dramatically since the early 1800’s mainly due to the introduction of new types of transport such as rail. Narrow boats are being used now for holidays and people are walking dogs along the tow-path suggesting that the canal is used less for trade and more for tourism. I saw evidence of horses being used to pull boats in the 1800’s such as the tow-path, change line bridges and stables. These stables are now an architects house and show how horses are no longer

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