The Bridgwater & Taunton Canal was engineered by James Hollinsworth, The 14 mile-long canal opened in 1827 from Huntworth to Taunton. In 1841 the canal was extended by a mile to a new dock in Bridgwater. It was bought by the Bristol & Exeter Railway in 1867. The dock stayed busy, but traffic on the canal had ceased by 1907. The canal was restored and reopenened in 1992, but there is no longer access from the river Parrett into the dock.