Robert Whitworth first surveyed the line for a canal through the Vale of the White Horse in 1784, as part of a plan by the Thames and Severn Canal Company to bypass the upper Thames, which they saw as an impediment to their trade. Further surveys followed, with a great deal of activity from 1793 to 1795 when the Wilts and Berks Canal Act was passed, for a canal from Abington on the Thames to Semington on the Kennet and Avon Canal just to the South of Melksham. Both Robert Whitworth and his son William were heavily involved in the planning of this canal, with William standing in for his father at important meetings that decided the line of the canal.

Compulsory purchase of land and construction started as soon as the act was passed, with Robert Whitworh as the chief engineer; when he passed away in 1799, his son William took over most of his father's role; starting from the Semington end of the canal, the Thames was eventually reached on 10th September 1810. William's last know report to the committee was dated April 1811, listing a few remaining works to be done at an estimated cost of 10 thousand pounds.

The Wilts and Berks Canal passed less that 100 yards from Well House Manor, and we've named our two main training rooms "The Wilts" and "The Berks" in honour of this local piece of history. We're naming our dining room "The Whitworth" in honour of Robert and William, who surveyed and managed the building of this great undertaking and brought waterborne carriage of goods to Melksham Wharf in 1798.

See also:
Well House Manor - initial FAQ

Wilts and Berks History
Robert and William Whitworth, engineers
The Wilts and Berks in Melksham
The reservoir at Coate Water
The canal at Calne
(written 2006-08-01, updated 2006-09-05)

 Z700 - People
  [207] Canteen Dragon - (2005-02-09)
  [388] BBQ Season - (2005-07-24)
  [392] No Smoking - (2005-07-27)
  [423] A Victorian Lady - (2005-08-23)
  [530] Perl course during the week, getting married at the weekend - (2005-12-16)
  [543] The world didn't stop for Christmas - (2005-12-26)
  [584] Loosing breath with Gerald - (2006-01-31)
  [601] A fond memory of Sir Freddie - (2006-02-11)
  [611] Look out for the motor cyclist - (2006-02-17)
  [650] A person of few words - (2006-03-18)
  [704] Erin Brent - rest in peace - (2006-04-29)
  [763] Much more that the world cup - (2006-06-15)
  [771] From cat breeder to Cobol to Perl - (2006-06-21)
  [794] Perl delegate - much more than just a delegate - (2006-07-06)
  [1064] Light and shadows at Beach - (2007-02-04)
  [1065] Graham Ellis - an Introduction - (2007-02-05)
  [1107] Weekend Visitors - (2007-03-13)
  [1119] The Last Word on the road - (2007-03-26)
  [1151] Gordon Dodge, R.I.P. - (2007-04-16)
  [1197] Back off home with our best wishes - (2007-05-21)
  [1238] The kind spirit of Melksham - (2007-06-21)
  [1279] The Gdansk fireball - (2007-07-27)
  [1303] Heading Upstate New York - (2007-08-14)
  [1385] Delegates of all shapes and sizes - (2007-10-09)
  [1522] Paging Martin Noke, who petitions for more trains from Trowbridge to Swindon - (2008-01-28)
  [1570] London Midland ... Merrymaker ... Percy Danks - (2008-03-10)
  [1627] Amazing family members - (2008-05-02)
  [1916] Why I remember East Grafton - (2008-12-02)
  [1980] Michelle - (2009-01-06)
  [1988] Melksham, Wiltshire. Town Crier Competition, 2009 - (2009-01-11)
  [2078] A lot has changed - but the memory lingers on - (2009-03-12)
  [2100] Visiting Family - (2009-03-23)
  [2132] Learning about Lurchers - (2009-04-18)
  [2503] Melksham manslaughter case concludes - sort of - (2009-11-14)
  [2795] Simon says - (2010-06-05)
  [2846] Catching up with an old friend - (2010-07-01)
  [2886] Congratulations, Kimberly - (2010-07-25)
  [3008] Dulwich College Preparatory, and Sevenoaks, Schools - (2010-10-21)
  [3034] Birth Notice - Aeryn Cassandra Ellis - (2010-11-07)
  [3055] Zyliana Kyrei Cox - (2010-11-16)
  [3125] The family is defunct. Long live the family. - (2011-01-09)
  [3184] Visiting relatives - (2011-02-26)
  [3268] Baby Pictures - (2011-04-27)
  [3297] A long day, a long journey, and families and similarities the world over - (2011-05-22)
  [3298] Quiet Monday in - (2011-05-23)
  [3355] Family Pictures - (2011-07-12)
  [3466] Passing of Steve Jobs - R.I.P. - (2011-10-06)
  [3512] A colleague and friend who changed my life - (2011-11-07)
  [3775] Alan Turing - 1912 to 1954 - (2012-06-23)
  [3905] How should we choose our Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner? - (2012-10-27)
  [3981] Melksham - a town of some remarkable people - (2013-01-19)
  [4193] Using our non-found page to help look for missing persons - (2013-10-18)
  [4349] When I am old, what will worry me? - (2014-12-11)
  [4482] People in New York - (2015-05-02)
  [4646] Sometimes you wonder about people. And perhaps you should not. - (2016-02-13)
  [4728] Visiting Los Alamitos Bay Yacht Club - (2016-11-23)
  [4736] Our changing world - (2017-04-17)

Z521 - Navigable waterways - Canals, Rivers and Sea
  [598] Should we cruise around the world? - (2006-02-09)
  [708] Linescapes of Mull - (2006-05-03)
  [776] Naming Rooms - (2006-06-24)
  [793] The Wilts and Berks Canal - (2006-07-05)
  [1657] Farewell, Newcastle to Stavanger, Haugsund and Bergen - (2008-05-29)
  [1986] Walk to Bowerhill - (2009-01-10)
  [2588] Freddies Wood and the K and A Canal - (2010-01-17)
  [2730] Bird Watching on the Melksham Avon - (2010-04-18)
  [2796] Sunday - waiting for the ferry. - (2010-06-06)
  [2807] Canal through Melksham - the options and issues - (2010-06-13)
  [2950] Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, turns first sod in Melksham Link Canal - (2010-09-09)
  [3023] Autumn walk from Bowerhill - (2010-10-31)
  [3157] A new monopoly on the ferry to Northern Ireland - (2011-02-04)
  [3183] Redevelopment on the banks of the Avon in Melksham - (2011-02-25)
  [3266] Easter on the Canal - near Melksham, Wiltshire - (2011-04-26)
  [3282] The future of canal management and charities - Kennet and Avon Canal bias - (2011-05-08)
  [3345] Cruising - (2011-07-04)
  [3482] Taking a boat down Caen Hill Locks - (2011-10-15)
  [3483] Canals, watererways in the Melksham area - (2011-10-16)
  [3815] The Melksham News - July 2012 - Part 2, TransWilts Rail, Wilts and Berks Canal - (2012-07-23)
  [3998] Travelogue - from the Netherlands to London via Hook and Harwich - (2013-02-07)
  [4472] Rosslare to Fishguard - foot passenger on the ferry - (2015-04-24)
  [4577] An update - Melksham Link Canal and river - (2015-11-14)

M149 - Well House Manor - FAQ
  [617] Easy, Free, Reliable internet access - (2006-02-22)
  [1263] 0800 043 8225 - a new phone number for Well House - (2007-07-10)
  [1683] Plenty of car parking at Well House Manor, Hotel, Melksham - (2008-06-20)
  [1809] Coming home tonight - (2008-09-25)
  [2014] First Class - (2009-01-29)
  [2352] Printed Directories - the start of the updating season - (2009-08-12)
  [2838] Respecting our customers anonimity - (2010-06-29)
  [3071] Well House Price list, January to March 2011 - (2010-11-25)
  [3263] Come as a customer, leave as a friend - Well House Manor, Hotel, Wiltshire - (2011-04-24)
  [3359] Cash and Cheque policy - UK Hotel - (2011-07-16)
  [3600] Visa, MasterCard and American Express - changing payment profiles - (2012-02-01)
  [3848] Where do I find .... (Our hotel FAQ) - (2012-08-25)

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An excellent use for a visitor count?
PHP - a team member leaves
Dynamic functions and names - Python
Robert and William Whitworth
My projector has a photo-id
Heard, yes. Considered, no. The case for the train.
Working on Weekend in Wiltshire and others
Above the parapit, Well House Manor
Time trickles like water through a sieve