These sixteen locks form a steep flight in a straight line up Caen Hill. This flight of locks was engineer John Rennie's solution to climbing the very steep hill, and was the last part of the 87 mile route of the Kennet and Avon canal to be completed.

The towpath under the bridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal (Caen Hill Locks). The picture was taken looking towards the Upper Foxhangers Farm, west of the main set of locks.

Kennet and Avon canal towpath under B3101. The towpath is also part of the Mid Wilts Way and White Horse Trail.

Seen on a dull October day in 1980 during the first stage of restoration. The lock chambers have been cleared of debris, including the rotten remains of the old lock gates, last used in the 1940s. The side pounds have been cleared of most of the vegetation, as well as riding stables and a builder's storage yard that occupied some of the dry pounds. It was to be still another 10 years or so before the locks were restored to the working condition we see today in the other pictures for this (and the adjacent!) squares.

The derelict lock and rickety footbridge as seen in 1977. As far as can be discerned from the 1:25 000 map, the footway over the bridge is not a right of way.

As originally designed, water for the top levels of the Kennet and Avon Canal was pumped from springs at Crofton, south east of Marlborough.
After the canal was brought back into use again this supply was inadequate to sustain the heavy usage of water down the famous Caen Hill locks at Devizes. Water is now pumped back up to the top of the flight via this pumping station at the bottom.
The wind pump shown on the map is also visible in this picture.

Remains of an old railway bridge

The railway was the now defunct Devizes to Trowbridge line, which has followed the canal closely from Devizes.

Lower Foxhangers Bridge can be seen in the background.

It's probably just my imagination, but there do seem to be a larger number of waterfowl around this year. This swan was one of a number of mature and juvenile swans in the Lower Foxhanger's marina.

The swans both here and further along the canal regard humans as a useful source of food and will soon come to investigate the bread opportunities available from people standing beside the water.