Editing Kennet and Avon Canal (section)

====Organisation====
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for making a navigable canal from the river Kennet, at or near the town of Newbury, in the county of Berks, to the river Avon, at or near the city of Bath; and also certain navigable cuts therein described.
| year                  = 1794
| citation              = [[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 90
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 17 April 1794
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1796|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1798}}
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1796}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act to vary and alter the line of the canal, authorised to be made by an act passed in the thirty-fourth year of the reign of his present Majesty, intituled, "An act for making a navigable canal from the river Kennet, at or near the town or Newbury, in the county of Berks, to the river Avon, at or near the city of Bath; and also certain navigable cuts therein described;" and to amend the said act; and also to make a certain navigable cut therein described.
| year                  = 1796
| citation              = [[36 Geo. 3]]. c. 44
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 24 March 1796
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794}}
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1798}}
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1798}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act to vary the line of the Kennet and Avon canal authorised to be made by two acts passed in the thirty-forth and thirty-sixth years of the reign of his present Majesty, and also to extend the powers of and to amend the said acts.
| year                  = 1798
| citation              = [[37 Geo. 3]]. c. xviii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 7 May 1797
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = {{ubli|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1796}}
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/gbla/Geo3/38/18/pdfs/gbla_17980018_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
On 17 April 1794 the '''{{visible anchor|Kennet and Avon Canal Act 1794}}''' ([[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 90) received [[royal assent]] and construction began.

Responsibility for construction was divided across three committees: the Western District, the central Wiltshire District (which was later absorbed into the Western in 1802), and the Eastern District. These awarded contracts and had delegated financial powers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kennet and Avon Canal {{!}} Enjoy K&A {{!}} History |url=http://www.enjoykanda.co.uk/History_page_2.html#building%20the%20canal |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.enjoykanda.co.uk}}</ref> Problems with contractors occurred on multiple occasions, sometimes being overenthusiastic about tendering for multiple sections of work, failing to survey ground conditions thoroughly and encountering difficulties such as rock or natural springs.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" />

Construction began at [[Bradford-on-Avon]] in the west, and Newbury in the east, in October 1794.<ref name=":HungerfordVirtualMuseumConstruction" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Kennet & Avon Canal: timeline {{!}} Bradford-on-Avon Museum |url=https://www.bradfordonavonmuseum.co.uk/archives/4891 |access-date=2024-02-08 |language=en-GB}}</ref>