Canal Locks in Britain

History | Flights of Locks | Canals in Britain

The Marple Flight on the Peak Forest Canal has 16 locks

Canal locks are a common sight on Britain’s canals. Locks are used to raise or lower the water level on rivers and canals. The most common form of lock on Britain’s waterways is the pound lock, with a chamber with gates at both ends to control the level of water. Read more on canal locks in Britain.

History

The first locks date back to ancient, 10th-century China and the Grand Canal. These early pound locks appeared in Europe first in the Netherlands and also later in Italy. Leonardo da Vinci is credited with designing the distinctive miter lock, two gates meeting in a V-shape pointing upstream.

The first use of locks in England was on the Exeter Ship Canal in the 16th century. The Exeter Ship Canal stretches from Exeter Quay along the River Exe to connect Exeter to the sea after passage was blocked by the construction of the Countess Wear in the 13th century.

The flight of 29 locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal between Rowde and Devizes in Wiltshire

Flights of Locks

Flights of locks where multiple locks are used to scale inclines are also a wonderful sight. The Caen Hill Flight and Bath Locks both on the Kennet and Avon Canal are good examples.

The first lock flight in Britain on the Sankey Canal in northwest England dates from 1757. The Sankey Canal was England’s first modern canal.

The Caen Hill Flight is a series of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal near Devizes in Wiltshire. The locks opened in 1810 and were the final element of the canal link between Bristol and London.

A drop in elevation of 72 metres over about 4 km from the Vale of Pewsey as it plunges into the Avon Valley necessitated the large number of locks. Altogether, the locks take 5-6 hours to travel by boat.

The Caen Hill flight of locks is clearly visible on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Bath Flight is a series of six locks near Pulteney Bridge and Cleveland House (the former headquarters of the Kennet and Avon Canal Company) in Bath.

Lock gate 5 on the Marple Flight

The longest lock flight in Britain is the Tardebigge Flight on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The flight raises the canal 220 feet via a series of 30 locks.

The Marple Flight on the Peak Forest Canal has 16 locks. In addition, the Marple Aqueduct on the same canal is also the tallest masonry-arch aqueduct in the UK. Benjamin Outram designed the aqueduct. Constructed between 1794-1800 it carries the Peak Forest Canal over the River Goyt.

The Wigan Flight of 23 broad-beam locks is the largest flight on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal. The locks lower the canal down to Wigan by over 160 feet, altogether.