Wantage Sackhouse - <>

Especially to keep up to date I hope with work on getting the Sack House open as a museum.

The Sack House also known as The Weigh Bridge, stood at the entrance way to the Wantage Wharf. Yes...boats into Wantage along a branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal. The branch left +the main Swindon/Abingdon route near Canal Court and Mably Way cuts across the junction leaving Grove Top Lock high above the road. The branch was lock free with a towpath. Boats could turn at the wharf wide area. There were various facilities at the wharf. All but the Wharfinger's ( Wharfmaster House were demolished) The west side of Belmont Bridge can still be found on the footpath out to Witan Way near the childrens' play area. At the Sack House you could hire sacks to send your produce eg corn out and around the country. THousands of tons of coal and stone were brought into town. Coal for home and industrial use. Stone for building and road repairs. In the early 1900s the Tramway built their lower yard..alongside the wharf, but the line did not reach the wharf entrance. Lorries took the flour from the Mill the short distance to the railhead.

Tags: Region,Museum