Page "History of the British canal system" Paragraph 48

The South West of England had several east-west cross-country canals, which connected the River Thames to the River Severn and the River Avon, allowing the cities of Bristol and Bath to be connected to London: These were Thames and Severn Canal which linked to the Stroudwater Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Wilts and Berks Canal, which linked to these three rivers ; all of these linked into the national canal system via the Oxford Canal and the River Severn ( via the Worcester & Birmingham and Staffordshire & Worcestershire canals ).

All of these east-west canals fell derelict in the early 20th century, and only the Kennet and Avon is today navigable, having been restored.