An Entire School Visits Devizes Wharf for a Trip on the boat.



"Kenavon Venture" passing Cemetery Road Bridge.



Many local village schools like  to bring  their children to  Devizes Wharf, and   on Wednesday,  an entire school arrived for a day's visit.  The group included the smallest children from the reception class to those more grown up in year 6.  The visit was part of their studies into the history of transport and map making.  The visit included a ride on the K&A Trust's tripboat down  through "Town Lock," a visit to the Museum to see the many exhibits  about the history of the canal, the boats that plied their trade and the horses who pulled the great barges.    Divided into several small groups, the children had an opportunity to experience life on the canal,  to see a lock being operated, and to walk the towpath where the horses once trod.  The children  also did some drawings to take back to school to commemorate their visit.  Packed lunches were the order of the day, and everyone had an enjoyable time.

The lowest photo below shows "Avon Vale" the K&A Canal Trust's workboat, which was bought from Britishwaterways for a £1, but on condition that it was renovated and then used for canal maintenance.  It is used to clear trees that block the passage of passing boats, cut back the undergrowth and to remove obstructions on the canal bed.  Some of the locals like to throw supermarket trolleys into the canal, and these cause damage to passing boats. 

The long Wharf building in the background was used as a place of storage for goods carried on the barges.  The canal opened in 1810, and was a hive of activity until the coming of Brunel's Great Western Railway in 1838 from London to Bristol.   It was then possible to move goods in a faction of the time that it took a barge to travel the same distance.  http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/  This museum is housed in the old engine sheds at Brunel's works in Swindon.

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The trip boat enters "Town Lock"

At the bottom of "Town Lock"



"Avon Vale" the Trust's workboat lying opposite Devizes Wharf.