Bradford-on-Avon is about six miles from Melksham, and another of the five towns on West Wiltshire; in fact it's the smallest, about half the size of Melksham. We popped over there at lunch time today and it was lovely to see people out with their boats, children and dogs. Vibrant, and we had to queue for lunch. Yet this canal was abandoned in the 1950s and not re-opened for fifty years. In the Kennet and Avon Canal, you can see how an unused resource can be restored and can become a key element of the local economy.
The Wilts and Berks Canal used to pass through Melksham. The old course, long abandoned and built over, passes a few yards from Well House Manor and there's no practical way that it will be restored on its old course. But it could be brought through the town up the course of the River Avon, and rejoining the old course of the canal a mile or two to the north.
(written 2009-04-26)
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
M202 - Well House Manor - West Wiltshire [713] Pictures from my travels - (2006-05-07)
[804] The Courts, Holt - (2006-07-16)
[812] Minimal Signage - (2006-07-23)
[814] Melksham Railway Calendar 2007 - (2006-07-25)
[840] Computers, Brides and Cream Teas - (2006-08-20)
[842] Dramatic Skys at Longleat - (2006-08-22)
[880] Celebration circles - (2006-09-27)
[929] Presenting Melksham - for a weekend away in Wiltshire - (2006-11-17)
[938] Bratton and Edington new town, Wiltshire - (2006-11-23)
[1030] Hotel for Trowbridge - (2007-01-12)
[1103] Dilton Marsh - (2007-03-08)
[1154] As I came back from Tesco - (2007-04-19)
[1252] Westbury Bypass - how it would effect Melksham - (2007-06-29)
[1583] Businesses in West Wiltshire - networking - (2008-03-20)
[1710] At the Westbury Bypass Enquiry - (2008-07-15)
[1834] Seend, near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2008-10-11)
[2131] Patterns in street names - (2009-04-17)
[2224] Trowbridge - a missed opportunity? Melksham - into the breach? - (2009-06-08)
[2302] See us at the West Wilts Show - (2009-07-23)
[2305] Hot Tap at West Wilts Show - (2009-07-26)
[2677] Blowing out the winter cobwebs - (2010-03-14)
[2709] Old trackways and routes near Melksham - (2010-04-05)
[2852] Atworth Village Fete - on the Melksham Community Area Partnership stand - (2010-07-04)
[3195] Sunny day - Clanger and Picket Woods, Shearwater, and Westbury - (2011-03-06)
[3216] Images of a Spring Walk - (2011-03-27)
[3493] West Wilts Rail User Group - Walk yesterday from Bradford-on-Avon to Trowbridge - (2011-10-23)
[3498] Which West Wilts Town? A picture quiz for you - (2011-10-28)
[3641] Swindon to Trowbridge - transport and travel options - (2012-03-06)
[3722] Walking by the wiver - (2012-05-06)
[4623] Rambling from Westbury - (2016-01-16)
[4653] Coats of arms - towns and authorities in Wiltshire - (2016-02-21)
M201 - Well House Manor - Around Melksham, Wiltshire [437] Outside of the box - (2005-09-06)
[676] Melksham, Wiltshire - (2006-04-08)
[805] Melksham Carnival Parade - (2006-07-16)
[811] Melksham in Bloom - (2006-07-22)
[830] Butterflies in a Wiltshire garden - (2006-08-12)
[847] Image maps for navigation - a straightforward example - (2006-08-28)
[866] A lazy programmer is a good programmer - (2006-09-15)
[879] Tuesday night is party night - (2006-09-26)
[957] Improving the historic town of Melksham - (2006-11-30)
[977] Melksham and Norwich - (2006-12-10)
[1117] Newport Male Voice Choir - (2007-03-24)
[1137] Wiltshire Circles - (2007-04-07)
[1177] Sorting out for a site map - (2007-05-05)
[1206] Where and When - can you place the picture? - (2007-05-27)
[1266] Party in the Park - (2007-07-14)
[1271] Till the cows come home - (2007-07-19)
[1330] While waiting for Melksham Post Office - (2007-09-02)
[1341] Moving to Melksham? Househunting map. - (2007-09-09)
[1343] Melksham Laundrette - (2007-09-09)
[1360] Asda in Melksham - Welcome or not? - (2007-09-21)
[1368] Getting the local voice heard - (2007-09-26)
[1436] A little touring help during a business trip to England - (2007-11-18)
[1451] More PHP sample and demonstration programs - (2007-12-01)
[1928] Melksham Oak Community School, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2008-12-07)
[1977] Going round the block - (2009-01-04)
[1986] Walk to Bowerhill - (2009-01-10)
[2008] The Month Ahead - What is happening in Melksham - (2009-01-25)
[2043] Confidence, Customer Service and Tourism in Melksham - (2009-02-15)
[2064] East of Melksham Countryside - (2009-03-02)
[2066] Melksham Industrial - (2009-03-04)
[2168] In honour of the photograph, I present ... a walk from Reybridge to Lacock - (2009-05-10)
[2175] Melksham in pictures - (2009-05-11)
[2253] Walks in and around Melksham, Wiltshire - (2009-06-21)
[2262] History is not always pretty - (2009-06-30)
[2297] Standing on the corner, Melksham Carnival - (2009-07-19)
[2329] Great to be in Melksham - (2009-08-08)
[2349] Businesses effected by road works in Melksham - (2009-08-11)
[2480] Pantomimes around Melksham - 2009/2010 season - (2009-10-28)
[2497] Brown horses in Melksham - (2009-11-08)
[2528] Melksham Christmas Lights - (2009-12-05)
[2585] Consultation in Melksham, on Melkshams future - (2010-01-17)
[2588] Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal - (2010-01-17)
[2665] Early Spring walk in Melksham - (2010-03-07)
[2691] New brochures for the Melksham area - (2010-03-24)
[2708] The bull on the footpath - (2010-04-04)
[2716] Melksham in Pictures - (2010-04-10)
[2739] Melksham Scouts - (2010-04-25)
[2829] Dauncey Gardens, Melksham - (2010-06-27)
[2854] Melksham Food and Drink Fair and Town Crier Competition - (2010-07-04)
[2950] Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turns first sod in Melksham Link Canal - (2010-09-09)
[3023] Autumn walk from Bowerhill - (2010-10-31)
[3050] Views of Melksham - November 2010 - (2010-11-13)
[3209] Seeing Electricity Pylons near Melksham - (2011-03-21)
[3227] Her favourite store - (2011-04-02)
[3232] Around and about Melksham in more pictures - (2011-04-05)
[3248] What have these pictures in common? - (2011-04-16)
[3258] Morning in Melksham - (2011-04-23)
[3266] Easter on the Canal - near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2011-04-26)
[3305] Getting away from the madding crowd - an intercontinental journey - (2011-05-27)
[3337] Home Grown Pigs, near Melksham Station - (2011-06-26)
[3389] Plenty to do in Melksham - (2011-08-13)
[3470] Currently pictured in Melksham - (2011-10-09)
[3499] Images of Melksham - (2011-10-29)
[3502] Sunday Evening ... newest and oldest Melksham pictures - (2011-10-30)
[3507] Melksham Forward - meeting summary and pictures - (2011-11-04)
[3520] Quintessentially English - scenes from our Wiltshire town - (2011-11-14)
[3525] Melksham has a heart - come and see the pictures. Sunday, 11 to 3, Assembly Hall - (2011-11-18)
[3526] Melksham has a Heart - Montage picture for sale - (2011-11-20)
[3543] Some different pictures from Melksham - (2011-12-07)
[3569] Images of the new year in Melksham - (2012-01-05)
[3605] Snow comes to Melksham, Wiltshire - pictures - (2012-02-10)
[3644] The way of the Prioress - Melksham history pictured today - (2012-03-09)
[3646] Exploring Melksham with a film maker - (2012-03-09)
[3647] Along the brook - East Melksham to Melksham - (2012-03-10)
[3656] TrainWest 2012 - 14th and 15th April, Melksham, Wiltshire - (2012-03-16)
[3657] Basham Festival, Melksham, early August 2012 - a welcome - (2012-03-16)
[3659] Welcome to Melksham - our new communities - (2012-03-18)
[3692] Deeper than Art - An exhibition of the tattoo Canvas - Melksham - (2012-04-10)
[3697] Events in Melksham - read all about them, and tell us about yours - (2012-04-15)
[3703] A Museum for Melksham History. Open from 12th May 2012. - (2012-04-21)
[3704] The Bowerhill Villager - a newsletter for Bowerhill, Melksham - (2012-04-22)
[3712] Some unpublished and historic pictures - Museum of Melksham - (2012-04-28)
[3720] Melksham ATC - freedom of the town - (2012-05-05)
[3735] A walk around Melksham this morning. Can you place all of these? - (2012-05-17)
[3744] Short Web Addresses for Melksham - (2012-05-30)
[3771] Fine evening, country walk from Melksham - pictures - (2012-06-21)
[3822] Town Clean - Melksham - (2012-07-29)
[3837] Evening behind Melksham Spa - (2012-08-12)
[3864] Guest Guide for Well House Manor and Melksham - (2012-09-18)
[3869] How have Melksham shops changed in 60 years? - (2012-09-24)
[3897] Autumn scenes from Melksham - (2012-10-16)
[3944] Melksham Christmas Lights, 2012 - (2012-12-05)
[3949] Melksham Spa from Woolmore Farm - (2012-12-09)
[3960] Picture - between Lacock and Melksham - (2012-12-21)
[3962] Melksham welcomes visitors - new blue plaque trail and more - (2012-12-27)
[4084] New Pictures - Melksham Pack Horse Bridge - (2013-05-12)
[4119] Melksham - Flower Town - (2013-06-20)
[4141] My pictures of Melksham Carnival, 13th July 2013 - (2013-07-14)
[4145] After the storm - (2013-07-29)
[4151] Tell me a bit about Melksham - (2013-08-10)
[4169] Around and about - Melksham - (2013-09-08)
[4357] Seeing Christmas Coming to Melksham - (2014-12-20)
[4701] Pretty at the station too - (2016-07-06)
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