  We present MERLIN and Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the
central region of the nearby radio galaxy 3C305 and use them to study the gas
and dust in this object. The MERLIN observations are of neutral hydrogen (HI)
absorption against the strong non-thermal 20cm continuum seen towards the
central 4kpc of 3C305. Our 0.2-arcsec (160 pc) resolution observations show
that the HI absorption is highly localised against the south-western
radio-emission with column densities 1.9x10^21/cm2. The absorption is broad and
red-shifted by 130 km/s relative to the systemic velocity. The HST images in
430nm, 702nm, [OIII] 500.7nm, [FeII] 1.64um and K-band polarization are
presented. Evidence is seen for coincidence of the [FeII] emission with the
knot at the end of the radio jet, suggesting the presence of shocks. We compare
the optical and radio images in order to investigate the relationship between
the dust and neutral gas. An unresolved (0.07-arcsec) nucleus is detected in H
and K and its properties are consistent with a quasar reddened by A(V)>4. We
propose that the absorption arises in a region of neutral gas and dust whose
structure is complex but is broadly consistent with an inclined disc
encircling, but not covering, the active galactic nucleus. A comparison of the
neutral gas observations and previous emission-line observations suggests that
both the neutral and ionised gas are undergoing galactic rotation towards the
observer in the north-east and away from the observer in the south-west. We
propose that the outflow giving rise to the radio emission has a component
towards the observer in the north-east and away from the observer in the
south-west.
