By David Craske, Communication Co-ordinator, East Vale & Abingdon

Built in about 1810, this small but well-preserved building stands at what was once the entrance to the Canal Wharf in Wantage.

At the Sack House, owned by the West of England Sack Hiring company, traders and farmers hired sacks to send cereal crops to merchants countrywide on the canals. After use, sacks were returned to the nearest sack hiring company. The Wantage Sack House is the last remaining example of what was once a whole network of such buildings.

Located opposite the flour mill at the bottom of Mill Street, the building also housed a weighbridge used to work out the tolls for transporting goods from the wharf. Regular incoming goods comprised mainly coal from the Somerset coal fields and stone used in the construction of local buildings.

Following the closure of the Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal in 1914 and subsequent draining of the wharf basin in 1920s, the site was used as a haulage yard. By the Noughties, a housing development had been built. And although the Sack House was threatened with demolition at one time, it was finally acquired by the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust and became a museum in 2014.

Today, visitors to the museum can learn all about the canal, wharf, nearby Town Mill and Wantage Tramway, as well as beautiful towpath walks waiting to be discovered. Museum guides can help visitors find out about volunteering opportunities with the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, such as joining work parties to keep paths and canal beds clear of vegetation and overhanging trees.
In the museum, we are proud to show visitors our fascinating short film about the canal at Wantage. An exciting drone flight along the entire length of the canal from Abingdon to Semington junction near Trowbridge is coming soon. Watch this space!

The Sack House is open from May to September on the last Saturday of the month. We also open for the Dickensian evening the first Friday in December.

So come along and see for yourself what we believe to be the best kept secret in Wantage, where our guides will be happy to answer any questions.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Sack House.

info@wbct.org.uk
The Sack House, Mill Street, Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 9GF