Much of the canal subsequently became unnavigable: many of the structures were deliberately damaged by army demolition exercises; parts of the route were filled in and in some cases built over.

A meeting to promote the ideas was held at Swindon on 12 November 1793, but presentation of a bill to Parliament was postponed until the plans were more mature.

The Earl of Peterborough chaired the meeting, which also heard that agreement had been reached with the Kennet and Avon Canal, although the junction with the Thames was still not finalised.

The deviation was authorised, and the Kennet and Avon built the length from Trowbridge to Semington, from where their main line continued on to Devizes.

A boat carrying the proprietors passed through the final lock into the Thames at 2:30pm, who then departed to the Council Chamber for a celebration that went on late into the evening.

From Semington, the canal passed through 24 locks, which raised the level by 189 feet 3 inches (57.7 m) to the summit pound between Wootton Bassett and South Marston.

An initial survey was made by William Whitworth, and a bill presented to Parliament in 1811, but it was withdrawn amidst opposition from the Thames Commissioners, landowners and the Oxford Canal.

The branch was 9 miles (14 km) long and included 11 locks, an aqueduct over the River Thames and a small tunnel near Crichlade.

The new Act repealed this ban, moving the City coal limits to Staines, despite serious opposition from ship owners and the proprietors of collieries in the north-east of England.

[20] The Wilts & Berks thus became a link in the chain of canals providing a transport route between the West Country and the Midlands.

The company paid a dividend to shareholders in 1812, but decided to forego any further payments until debts had been repaid, improvements made, and issues with water supply resolved.

Other major outgoings were repayments to the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners, for money borrowed to finance the construction of the North Wilts Canal.

The company used the unexpected windfall to build hoses, buy a wharf at Oxford, construct Tockenham Reservoir, pay off loans, and retained the rest as reserves.

[25] Further rail competition occurred from 1848 with the opening of Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway, which affected traffic on the western half of the canal.

[26] A final dividend of £561 was paid in 1870, and in 1873 the canal made a loss; by that time all traffic to the east of Wantage had ceased.

Bristol Chamber of Commerce objected to the proposal, and in late 1875 seven merchants formed a new company to buy the canal.

They decided that it could not be made profitable, and with support from the Swindon Traders Association, who thought the canal was an eyesore, attempted to abandon it.

Chippenham Wharf, once home to Brinkworth's Coal Depot, was used by residents as a refuse tip, and council minutes from 1926 show a decision to dump pig offal in the disused waterway.

A significant event was the organisation of a "Big Dig" in 1991 by the Waterway Recovery Group to celebrate their twenty-first year of involvement in canal restoration.

[43] The cut initially runs for about 150 yards (140 m) to a winding hole, but will eventually link to the historic route of the canal to the west of Abingdon.

[45] On 26 May 2009, Double Bridge and a short section of rewatered canal to the south of Pewsham was officially opened by the Trust's patron, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

[46] With a grant from the Gannett Foundation and voluntary labour, working parties extended this section to the foot of Pewsham Locks in 2012.

[52] The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Group also welcomed the project "as a key element in transforming Swindon's town centre into a leisure and visitor attraction, disposing of its dreary reputation.

It runs southwards from Cross Kingshill Road, part of the A4289 near the centre of Swindon, to a Waitrose supermarket and a waterways-themed Hall & Woodhouse pub, the interior of which was designed by the archaeologist Mark Horton.

[54] In addition to building housing and the canal, the developers by 2024 had planted 376 trees in urban streets and 34,336 in open areas.

[55] There were problems with leakage on the East Wichel section, which were largely resolved in 2022, but work was ongoing in 2023 to locate the final leaks.

The environmental statement ran to 350,000 words and was published in five volumes in 2015, but the Environment Agency required further information, and supplementary reports were produced in March 2018 and January 2019.

After delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, communication with the Environment Agency resumed, and agreement on the final two obstacles to the plan was reached.

In January 2008 Swindon Council considered a report, prepared by their consultants, on the feasibility and implications of restoring the town centre route.

[66] There was concern in south Oxfordshire about the risk of flooding, and it can be argued that the canal will act as a drainage system, helping to take excess water and move it away to the Thames.