Editing Kennet and Avon Canal (section)

====Proposals====
In 1788 a "Western Canal" was proposed to improve trade and communication links to towns such as [[Hungerford]], [[Marlborough, Wiltshire|Marlborough]], [[Calne]], [[Chippenham]] and [[Melksham]]. The following year the engineers Barns, Simcock and Weston submitted a proposed route for this canal, although there were doubts about the adequacy of the water supply. The name was changed from Western Canal to Kennet and Avon Canal to avoid confusion with the [[Grand Western Canal]], which was being proposed at the same time.<ref name=russell7to10>{{harvnb |Russell |1997 |pp=7–10}}</ref> This came in the midst of the [[Canal Mania]] period, with shares oversubscribed and reports of riotous crowds gathering outside meetings.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction">{{Cite web |title=Building the Kennet & Avon Canal |url=https://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/?view=article&amp;id=826&amp;catid=36 |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk}}</ref>

In 1793 a further survey was conducted by [[John Rennie the Elder|John Rennie]], and the route of the canal was altered to take a more southerly course through [[Great Bedwyn]], [[Devizes]], [[Trowbridge]] and [[Newbury, Berkshire|Newbury]]. The proposed route was accepted by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company, chaired by [[Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury|Charles Dundas]], and the company started to take [[Subscription (finance)|subscriptions]] from prospective shareholders. In July 1793 Rennie suggested further alterations to the route, including the construction of a tunnel in the [[Savernake Forest]].<ref name=russell7to10/>