A new Canal, Rerouting around a Town

A new Canal, Rerouting around a Town

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Join the video today to see the amazing progress being made on the newest stretch of the Wilts and Berks Canal at Wichelstowe in Swindon, Wiltshire. See the development continue a the construction methods used to dig the canal, to line it and to make it watertight. Using more traditional methods of puddling clay rather than a modern bentonite or liner and using construction rollers instead of livestock to puddle the clay. See the whole site with this up close access as we venture into the canal itself!

We also take a look at the leaks on the higher section of the canal in East Wichel and then take a walk across to the Wichelstowe sites and the Waitrose end where the hall and Woodhouse pub sit and the new McCarthy Stone retirement homes are being built.

Wilts and Berks Canal Youtube - @wiltsberkscanaltrust

All historical drone footage shot with a DJI mini 3 Pro. All New footage shot with a DJI Mini 3 Pro

All camera footage shot with an Insta360 RS ONE Inch with Rode Go mic and Lavalier.

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[grahamcarter]

Excellent video. Great stuff history in the making

[SLOWLYdoesit]

Insane how much work is involved- it isn’t digging a ditch!

[JamieW-ob]

How much easier with modern machines than pick, shovel and barrow. Bless those amazing navvies!

[MargaretHooper-xj]

We love the canal and feel very excited at the progress being made. Well done to everyone concerned.

[malcolmrichardson]

It all looks very promising, with some smart planning for re-routing the canal around Swindon - which is a major and presumably, very costly undertaking. Thanks for the update.

[GARDENER]

I remember doing a weekend on this canal with London WRG back around 1988.
Even brought my own chainsaw...
Sadly the work was on one of the sections which ultimately, will not form part of the restored navigation.

[andrewhotston]

Just shows how profitable housebuilding is, if they can afford to build a new canal.

[charleswillcock]

There is not much to praise in Birmingham but the canal system is one feature built about 200 years ago. A lot more could be done to maximise the asset with some imagination.

[anthonycarpenter]

A canal is the countryside of a city.
Only fools would take it away.

[eamonquinn]

It's a real shame they re not going back through Swindon town centre

[traceyb]

Where was and is the clay taken from for the canals base thanks. We Enjoy your information you give a lot of detail.❤

[chairmakerPete]

Whoever runs Swindon is going to regret not routing this through the town centre. Would have been an excellent improvement to a pretty awful urban landscape. Silly.

[chrisblyth]

Unless the Dutch build it, it would be dug up again like our roads are in 2 months. The Victorians knew how to build canals. 3:48 3:50

[trsu]

Isn't it all a "glorified pond" unless it's used for something? With the switch to steel recycling with Arc Furnaces, and the future likely being more recycling, and hopefully some returning domestic industry, it'd be nice to think we could put scrap and primary commodity on the canals. It'd have to be automated to some degree - that kind of work wouldn't pay modern rent!

[johncburt]

The traditional way of puddling clay was with several hundred navvies

[mijzzzz]

i am wanting to walk little bits of the route but wondering where to park?

[TheMdw]

It will also be good when the Wichelstowe section gets unblocked as well. The owner seems to have done everything he can, its SBC that is holding up resolving it.

[pinkelephants]

The various elements of what you are talking about would have been easier to understand if you had used drone footage accompanied by commentary at each point. It's a lot of information to take onboard without being able to see what's what in sequence. Still photography is nice, but it's nigh on impossible to get a holistic understanding of the overall project in the space of just one video.

[chronixchaos]

What other country in the world is building a late eighteenth century transport system in 2024?

[kipper]

yes great video but the commentary could have been a lot better, your speaking so fast just cant take in what your saying! shame. But, well done all those who are involved in the works, hope to be able to catch the progress with a commentary that we can follow.