Andover Canal: Difference between revisions

The first survey for an Andover Canal was carried out in 1770 by [[Robert Whitworth (canal engineer)|Robert Whitworth]], at a time when there was a great deal of canal building activity in the country. The canal would follow the valley of the River Anton, until it joined the River Test, and then follow that valley down to Redbridge. He produced an estimated price for a narrow canal, and another for a wider canal. The following year, Parliament was approached for permission to bring a [[Bill (proposed law)|bill]], quoting an [[Act of Parliament]] from the reign of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], which had granted rights to make several rivers, including the Test and the Anton, navigable. The bill was not submitted, which Phillips, writing his ''General History of Navigation'' in 1795, stated was due to objections concerning land purchase and possible damage to property, but a newspaper report in 1788 believed it was due to a lack of subscribers.<ref>{{harvnb |Hadfield |1969 |pp=169–170}}</ref>