This talk will look at some of the watermills along the River Kennet, before turning to the creation of the Kennet Navigation, the waterway from Reading to Newbury which opened in 1723 in the face of strong opposition.  Later came the extension westwards to create the Kennet and Avon Canal, which opened in 1810, with trade expanding until the arrival of the railways.  From the middle of the 19th century the canal went into a slow decline, with minimal maintenance, but it stayed open throughout until the 1950s.  Since then the story has been one of closure, then campaigning to save and restore the canal, which officially re-opened in 1990.

This is the last of three talks in the “Berkshire Heritage” Talks Series. The other talks take place on 21st January and 18th February. You may book tickets for any talk individually or for all three in the series for a reduced price.  

Please note the Centre’s face-to-face talks are now held at Reading’s Abbey Baptist Church. The full address of the church is given to the right. The venue has disabled access and a disabled toilet. The talk begins at the slightly later time than previously of 2.30pm. 

Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available (included in the price). Pre-booking is preferred, but you can pay on the door, if there are spaces available.  

Image above (cropped): Andrew Smith / The River Kennet, Burghfield / CC BY-SA 2.0

Location image (cropped): Abbey Church – Gazamp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 

To book, scroll down.