Maggie's notes
The walk begins in the village of Semington, situated between Melksham and Trowbridge. Semington boasts a Parish Council, a Grade 11 listed Church named St George, a pub, The Somerset Arms (lunch at 1.30pm) and two locks on the Avon and Kennet Canal. Semington also boasts two notable residents: Thomas Helliker (1784-1803) trade union martyr, a victim of anti-Luddite sentiment, wrongly executed for the burning of Semington Mill and Isaac Gulliver (1745-1822), wealthy smuggler with an empire across several counties in the south of england. The latter died a peaceful death in great comfort.
The walk incorporates the canal towpath and fields (hopefully not too muddy especially considering this author's past experience), taking in the hamlet of Whaddon, one of the highest points of our walk. The landscape is fairly flat so no stiff inclines to work up an appetite. However, your walking sticks are recommended due to the mud you are likely to encounter.
Beginning at the pub (park your cars here), we head south for 1/4 mile before turning right towards St George's Hospital, a forbidding building whose original function was a workhouse. Then onto a muddy bridle path with open views of the countryside. Another short bridleway brings us to the relief of tarmac which takes us over the canal and on to Whaddon, where there is to be found a small Grade 11 listed ecclesiastical building, St Mary's, sitting on a hilltop overlooking the Avon Valley. We make our way back to the canal via a muddy field, picking up the mudless towpath towards Semington and lunch but not before a last stretch of waterlogged field.
A word or two about Whaddon. Archaeological finds suggest Iron Age occupation and it is mentioned in the Doomsday Book. The church was originally built in 12th. century (a blocked north doorway can still be seen) and altered in the 14th. century, rebuilt twice in the 17th. century and the present chancel rebuilt in the 19th.century because of previous bad workmanship. Sounds like a modern malady.
As you learned and well read people will know the Kennet and Avon canal was built to link those two rivers to provide a continuous waterway from east to west across southern England from Bristol to London, first mooted in Elizabethan times but because of civil wars and numerous vested interests nothing happened until the early 18th. century when the navigation of both rivers was extended. These operations were quite independent of each other and it was some time before the two were linked. Construction of the canal began in 1794 and was finally opened in 1810 after the completion of the Devizes Locks. The majority of cargo was coal and stone with seventy 60-ton barges working on the canal.
Semington lies on the Bath to Devizes section of the canal. We pick it up west of the village, where we soon come across a swing bridge and The Semington Aqueduct (Grade 11). The aqueduct consists of a single stilted segmental arch of limestone ashlar masonry and crosses Semington Brook which flows northwards to join the Avon at Whaddon. We walk under Semington Bridge to where the Wiltshire and Berkshire canal joined, linking the Kennet and Avon to the Thames at Abingdon. Although no longer in use (but being restored) it's junction can be seen here at Semington Locks. Named Buckley's and Barrett's, these locks have a combined rise/fall of 4.9m. Swiftly moving on we cross the new aqueduct (2004) over the bypass which is rather noisy but the village is peaceful as a result. The aqueduct as 2 channels with a central spine, gving a navigable width of 5 metres. No collisions needed on this stretch! A walk over the swing bridge brings our tour of the canal to a close and we head for the brook and pub.
Maggie with thanks to Wikipedia and Pub Walks
