Harmsworth later purchased the canal (in 1922) and ran a number of boats on it for a mixture of limited commercial carrying and pleasure cruising. The canal was sold upon his death in 1947 and by 1950 was in the hands of the New Basingstoke Canal Co Ltd. This company continued the restoration of the canal (under the management of the General Manager, Joan Marshall) but there was a serious setback in 1957 and a major breach in 1968. By the late-1960s it was essentially derelict despite volunteer efforts to improve the situation.