A £50,000 heritage survey is to be carried out along the 36-mile line of the now abandoned rural waterways that make up the Cotswold Canals.

It is being done to help guide an £82 million project to reopen the historic canal route that once linked the Rivers Thames and Severn.

The Cotswold Canals is the name given to the 29-mile stretch of the old Thames and Severn Canal and the adjoining seven mile long Stroudwater Navigation.

Work on restoring the waterway is being carried out by the Cotswold Canals Partnership an umbrella body made up of several organisations including British Waterways.

As well as examining structures like the Sapperton Tunnel and the canal's distinctive roundhouses, the 10-week survey will highlight the significance of many of the less well-known features including locks, bridges, weirs, wharves and boundary markers.

The study, which is being carried out by Cotswold Archaeology, will also consider archaeological features and the adjoining historic landscape.

The heritage survey is being financially supported by English Heritage using money from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund which was set up to help communities affected by gravel digging.

A team of experts, including archaeologists and architectural historians, will walk the length of the two canals to assess and analyse their heritage value.

Their report will help guide the management of the restoration project and protect features of historic importance.

Richard Morris of Cotswold Archaeology said: "We are delighted to be asked to produce a comprehensive survey of historically significant features of these wonderful rural waterways which are a valuable part of our nation's heritage.

"We will be walking the entire line over the next three to four weeks," he said.

British Waterways project manager Tim Eaton said: "We are working hard to restore the canals to benefit local communities, businesses and the local ecology, while conserving an important part of our heritage.

"The survey aims to assess the significance of the Cotswold Canals from a historic perspective.

"It is one of a number of important studies underway that together will ensure that our restoration plans sensitively protect and preserve the rich wealth of heritage and wildlife that characterise these beautiful rural waterways."

As well as field surveys, Cotswold Archaeology will be conducting desk-based research including examining the archives of the two original canal companies and consulting the Sites and Monuments Records as part of the archaeological assessment.

A feasibility study has already indicated that linking up the two rivers again will bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the area including 1.8 million new day visitors each year spending an estimated £8.5 million.

The restored waterway will eventually be part of a canal network that will one day see boats gliding past Swindon again as they make their way north from the Kennet and Avon Canal.