The Kennet & Avon Canal was completed in 1810 and flourished until 1840, carrying stone from Bath and bringing coal and domestic goods into the city. Canal trade gradually decreased with the opening of the railways and stretches became virtually derelict in the 1950s to 1970s. The creation of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust in the 1960s led volunteers to refurbish the canal over several decades.