Semington Canal Junction

Semington is a village just 3 miles south of Melksham, where the Wilts and Berks Canal used to leave the Kennet and Avon Canal for Swindon, Wantage and Abingdon.



Map locator - Semington


Old rails at Semington

Until the spring of 2005, Semington was a notorious bottleneck on the A350 trunk road, as all the passing traccif squeezed through the village and over the hump backed bridge. But these days, the bypass which the canal crosses on an Aquaduct takes the heavy traffic.






Canal Lock at Semington

At the nearby village of Seend, a plateway wan from the canal and railway to ironstone workings on the hillside. I suspect that this railing at Semington is made up of ancient rails from that venyute.





The Kennet and Avon Canal climbs through two locks at Semington on its way to towards London. Forbidding hills ahead hint at the heavy climeb that's to come at Caen Hill, Devizes in just a few miles.


Below Semington Bottom Lock

A hire boat from Trowbridge approaches Semington locks.

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