Kennet and Avon Canal Museum facts for kids
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| Location | Devizes, Wiltshire, England |
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The Kennet and Avon Canal Museum is a fascinating place to visit in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. It tells the amazing story of the Kennet and Avon Canal. This museum is perfect for learning about how canals work and why they were so important long ago.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's Home
The museum is located in a very old building. It used to be a special kind of storage place called a bonded warehouse. This means it was a secure spot where goods, like wine, were kept after arriving by boat from Bristol Harbour.
Where is the Museum?
You can find the museum right on Devizes Wharf. It's about one mile away from the famous Caen Hill Flight. These locks are a series of steps that boats use to go up or down a big hill!
Who Runs the Museum?
The museum is looked after by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. This trust is a group of people who work hard to protect and share the history of the canal. Their main office and a shop are also inside the museum building.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum is full of cool things that show the canal's history. You can find old papers, photographs, and special items from the past.
The Canal's History
The Kennet and Avon Canal was built a very long time ago, between 1794 and 1810. Imagine how much effort that took without modern machines! After many years, the canal wasn't used much. But people worked hard to bring it back to life.
A Royal Reopening
The canal was fully restored and officially reopened in 1990. Guess who signed the visitor book at the museum on that special day? Queen Elizabeth II herself! This shows how important the canal's restoration was.
Models and Tools
Inside the museum, you can see models of different locks. These models help you understand how boats move up and down the canal. There are also models of narrowboats, which are the long, thin boats that used to travel on the canal. You can even see old tools that were used by the people who worked on these boats.
