History of the Grand Western Canal
An Act of Parliament passed in 1796 should have marked the start of work on a very ambitious canal which would run from Topsham, on the South Coast, all the way to the River Tone at Taunton. However, work only commenced in 1810 and four years later only the 12 mile stretch from Tiverton to Burlescombe had been completed. At this time the cargoes on board the barges were limestone and coal.
No further work got underway until 1831, when it took another seven years to extend the canal as far as Taunton through a series of boat lifts.
Ironically, the canal served to carry the materials to build the Bristol & Exeter Railway, which in turn would signify the beginning of the end of commercial traffic on the waterway - eventually ceasing in 1924.
Canals tend to follow a level landscape wherever possible, making travel and maintenance far quicker and easier. Engineers faced many difficulties when constructing the Grand Western Canal, because the plans specified that the whole length should run along flat ground avoiding the high costs that come with incorporating lifts or locks. However the construction of the cuttings and embankment took a lot of time and money! To ensure that the canal ran on a level contour the plans disregarded land ownership. This resulted in many farms and private property being split. To overcome this problem accommodation and access bridges were built across the canal in various places.
