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River Kennet

1874

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A Bill to make the Kennet navigable was introduced in 1708 but was opposed by the town of Reading and did not receive Royal Assent until 21 September 1715. Early attempts at improvement failed and in 1718 John Hore of Newbury was appointed engineer and surveyor. 11 ½ miles of cuts were made to straighten the navigation and 20 turf sided locks were built. The navigation was opened to 80 ton Thames barges in 1723 with the horse-towing path completed a year later. The main traffics on the river were meal, flour and cheeses from Newbury to London and coal groceries and heavy goods back again. The navigation was perpetually short of money and maintenance suffered. In 1760 Francis Page, a trader on the navigation, offered to lease the river and although the offer was refused he became a proprietor and assumed sole control in 1767 having bought all the shares. Improvements were made, locks were rebuilt to take larger Newbury barges and the river was deepened. Following the death of Francis Page in 1784, Francis Page junior took over control of the navigation with his brother Frederick and offered to sell his interest in the river to the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. This was refused. Francis Page junior became treasurer of the Kennet and Avon Canal Company and in 1797 it was found that he could not account for over £10,000 of the company's money. In order to pay the debt he had to mortgage the navigation. In March 1798 the Kennet and Avon Canal Company threatened to sell the navigation to recover its money and by September an agreement had been reached whereby the debt was repaid by September 1801. Until the Page family came along the navigation had barely made any profit. Under their control the situation improved and by 1801 tolls were over £3000. The completion of The Kennet and Avon Canal in 1810 greatly increased trade on the navigation and in 1812 the Kennet and Avon Canal Company bought the river for £100,000. Frederick Page retained an interest in the river through his connections with the canal and was chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal Company for a short time before his death in 1834. Full control of the river was finally passed to the successors of the canal company, The Great Western Railway on 18 November 1885. For further information on the River Kennet see Edward Paget-Tomlinson's The Illustrated History of Canals & River Navigations.