July 2025 Picture of the Month

The first part of my series of articles on the history of the Somersetshire Coal Canal appears in the July issue of Vintage Spirit, with parts two and three scheduled for August and September. This view was taken at Brassknocker Basin at the eastern end of the canal, just a few miles from Bath, where about 400 metres of the waterway has been restored and is now used as moorings which can be accessed from the adjacent Kennet and Avon Canal. A visit to the Angelfish café is to be recommended. The canal survived for 95 years before the arrival of the railway took away most of its coal traffic, but for much of that time, it was one of the country's most profitable canals. Today, while most of the route of the canal can be followed, the locks are all empty. Many of its unique hairpin flight of locks survive in remarkable condition. Canon 5D Mk IV, 24mm lens.