Date/Time
Date(s) - Saturday 18/07/2026
10.00 - 15.00
Location
Canal car park
Zoom link (when applicable)
Click 'iCal' to add to your Calendar
iCal
Categories
We’ve been advised by the Heritage Ranger of the Exmoor National Park Authority of the following event on the former Pinkery Canal.
Why was the highest canal ever built in England dug across the top of Exmoor? This event offers a chance to explore that question alongside archaeologists and environmental specialists on the high moor, and to learn more about one of Exmoor’s most intriguing and little-understood historic features.
Running for nearly 8 km along the southern slopes of The Chains, the Pinkery (or Pinkworthy) Canal is thought to have been constructed around 1819–1820 for John Knight as part of the Knight family’s ambitious agricultural reclamation of the former Royal Forest of Exmoor. Its purpose remains uncertain, with a number of possible interpretations – including a water carriageway, part of a wider drainage and water management system, or even a feature connected to a proposed railway – though no single explanation has been proven.
The Knight family’s work transformed Exmoor through large-scale engineering, including canals, drainage systems, and farms, helping to shape the landscape we see today. This excavation is the first detailed investigation of the canal in over 50 years and uses modern scientific techniques to better understand both its construction and its wider environmental context.
Because the canal was built at a known date, the soils and peat sealed beneath its banks provide a rare environmental record. These buried layers may help us reconstruct what Exmoor’s vegetation looked like before reclamation and how the landscape changed during the 19th century.
On the day, visitors will be able to view the exposed canal, learn how it was engineered, and see how the excavation is helping us better understand both the canal itself and the wider environmental history of Exmoor. There will also be opportunities to speak directly with archaeologists about the findings and the Knight family’s ambitious vision for the moor.
There is no charge and no booking required, and all are welcome
Location and access:
Parking is available at Goat Hill Bridge Car Park (What3Words: //summit.indulgent.coolest; Grid Reference: SS 72853 40130).
From there, follow the Macmillan Way West footpath north for approximately 1 km. The excavation site will be on your left, with signage and staff on hand to guide you (Grid Reference: SS 72861 41173; What3Words: ///battle.dancer.spacing)