 The canal was built under the supervision of John Rennie.Newbury Lock was the easternmost lock on the original Kennet and Avon Canal, and downstream it connected to what was the much older Kennet Navigation, opened in 1727 between Reading and Newbury.The canal opened throughout in 1810 and provided, along with the River Thames, the Kennet Navigation and the River Avon, a through route between London and Bristol.