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Thames Navigation Commission
The Thames Navigation Commission managed the River Thames in southern England from 1751 to 1866. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the Canal lock, locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries History The first commission concerned with the River Thames was the Oxford-Burcot Commission, appointed in the Thames Commission of Sewers Act 1605. It took responsibility for the river between Oxford and Burcot, Oxfordshire, Burcot. The Oxford-Burcot Commission was reasonably successful. Thus, the permanent Thames Navigation Commissioners were appointed through a further act under George II of Great Britain, King George II in 1751, the (24 Geo. 2. c. 8). This commission had similar powers covering the whole of the river down to Staines as far as a point marked by the London Stone (riparian), London Stone; below this point the rights and responsibilities for managing the Thames were vested in the City of London Corporation. Earlier comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn. The river rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire and flows into the North Sea near Tilbury, Essex and Gravesend, Kent, via the Thames Estuary. From the west, it flows through Oxford (where it is sometimes called the Isis), Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor. The Thames also drains the whole of Greater London. The lower Reach (geography), reaches of the river are called the Tideway, derived from its long Tidal river, tidal reach up to Teddington Lock. Its tidal section includes most of its London stretch and has a rise and fall of . From Oxford to the estuary, the Thames drops by . Running through some of the drier parts of mainland Bri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marlow Lock
Marlow Lock is a lock (water transport), lock and weir situated on the River Thames in the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, about 300m downstream of Marlow Bridge. The first pound lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773. The weir stretches a long way upstream above the lock. History A weir at Marlow is recorded in Domesday Book, and there are 14th century records of a winch to pull traffic through a flash lock. The lock was very problematical and in the 16th and 17th century there are accounts of conflicts between millers and navigators. A particular problem was the shallow draught. The first pound lock was built of fir in 1773, the seventh downstream of the eight built after the 1770 navigation act. It was upstream of the present lock and still proved problematical. Rollers were needed to guide barges in, and as there was no towpath, barges needed tow ropes several hundred feet long. The lock needed extensive repairs in 1780 and a year later ee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buscot Lock
Buscot Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, near the village of Buscot, Oxfordshire. The lock was built of stone by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1790 and is the smallest on the River Thames. Like most of the Upper Thames Locks, it is a beam lock, which is operated manually through pushing the beams to open and close the gates. The new weir was created in 1979 when a cut was made through fields on the southern side of the lock. Of an unusual cresting design, it is now a National Trust picnic area. The weir was previously on the northern side of the lock. The area is rich in flora and fauna, and a frequent haunt for otters, kites and kingfishers. History Before the construction of the lock, a flash lock was in place at Buscot weir to help navigation. When the lock was built the weir was owned by Edward Loveden Loveden of Buscot Park, who was a very strong champion of Thames navigation. The pound lock was built by J. Nock who also built St John's Lock at th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abingdon Lock
Abingdon Lock is a lock (water transport), lock on the River Thames in England, less than 1 mile east and upstream of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on the opposite bank of the river. It was originally built in 1790 by the Thames Navigation Commission. The weir runs across from the Abingdon side to the lock island, and has a pedestrian walkway across it. According to a tablet above the front door, the current lock-keeper's house dates from 1928. Ice creams and refreshments have been sold from the door of the house for at least 30 years. History The navigation route in the vicinity of Abingdon has been subject to change over the centuries. The Swift Ditch further to the east was the original course of the river Thames. The stream to the town was developed by the monks of Abingdon Abbey and the original weir is reputed to have been built by them during the 10th century. A pound lock was built on the Swift Ditch by the Oxford-Burcot Commission in 1635 making it then the navigation ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Day's Lock
Day's Lock is a lock on the River Thames near Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on the Dorchester side of the river. The pound lock was built in 1789 by the Thames Navigation Commissioner. The lock is across the river from the small village of Little Wittenham and is overlooked from the south by the hills of Wittenham Clumps, with a particularly good view from Round Hill. The weir runs straight across the river from the other side of the lock island. Day's Lock is the main gauging station for the measurement of the water flow in the River Thames. The Thames Path crosses the river here. The ''World Poohsticks Championships'', on behalf of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI, have taken place annually here since 1983. History The name ''Day's Lock'' comes from the Day family, local Roman Catholic, Catholic yeomen since the 17th century. During the 16th century, there was a flash lock here. The pound lock was staked out in August 1788. It was judged best ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benson Lock
Benson Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, close to Benson, Oxfordshire but on the opposite bank of the river. The first pound lock here was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1788 and it was replaced by the present masonry lock in 1870. The distance between Benson Lock and Cleeve Lock downstream is 6.5 miles (10.4 km) - the longest distance between locks on the River Thames. The weir runs from the lock island level with the lock across to the Benson side. There is a footbridge over the weir which replaced the ferry which operated here previously. The Thames Path crosses the river here. History The history of the weir can be traced back into the late 14th century when there was a mill at "Bensington". The mill island and stream are on the Benson side downstream of the lock although the mill itself is long gone. There was also a flash lock, although the first definite reference to this is in 1746. The pound lock was built of oak in 1788 and it i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whitchurch Lock
Whitchurch Lock is a lock (water transport), lock and weir on the River Thames in England. It is a pound lock, built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1787. It is on an island near the Oxfordshire village of Whitchurch-on-Thames and is accessible only by boat. The weir crosses the river to the Berkshire village of Pangbourne. History There was a flash lock recorded at Whitchurch in the 16th century. The sketch map shows the main dam, which was solid and rose to a height above normal high water level. Near the southern bank, there was a sluice (marked "E" on the sketch), which was wide, and was fitted with flood gates and overfall boards, to accommodate a drop of in the river level. The flash lock was in the centre, with a winch on the north bank to haul the barges through against the current. It was wide, which was the standard size for all flash locks below Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon. Near to the island was a "tumbling bay", an overfall weir with its crest ju ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goring Lock
Goring Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England at the Goring Gap in the Chiltern Hills. The lock is located on the Oxfordshire bank at Goring-On-Thames, with Streatley, Berkshire on the opposite side of the river. It is just upstream of Goring and Streatley Bridge. The lock was first built in 1787 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners The weir runs back to an island under the bridge and then another weir goes from there to the Streatley bank. History There was originally a weir and ferry here belonging to Goring Priory, which became the property of millers who kept a flash lock. A report in a newspaper of 1674 tells how 60 people drowned in the lock when the ferryman rowed too close to it. The pound lock was built in August 1787 from oak. Over several decades operation of the lock appears to have been shared with that of Cleeve Lock until 1869. Following this there were plans to build a lock-house, but this was not started until 1879.Fred. S. Tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cleeve Lock
Cleeve Lock is a lock (water transport), lock on the River Thames, in Oxfordshire, England. It is located just upstream of Goring-on-Thames, Goring and Streatley, Berkshire, Streatley villages, on the eastern side of the river within the village of Goring. There was a hamlet of Cleeve, after which the lock is named, but it dropped out of use, as always part of Goring. The first lock was built in 1787 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners. The reach above the lock is the longest, and the reach below it is the shortest, on the non-tidal river. The weir runs to an island below the lock, and there are further weirs between islands downstream. Access to the lock The lock can be reached on foot from Streatley, or by a track which comes off the A329 road to Wallingford. History There was a flash lock recorded on the site in the 16th century. The first pound lock was built of oak in 1787 alongside a meadow which was then known as Winch Meadow. It was originally to be called Stre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mapledurham Lock
Mapledurham Lock is a lock (water transport), lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England, about 4 miles upstream of Reading, Berkshire, Reading. The lock was first built in 1777 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners and the present lock dates from 1908. Despite its name, the lock is located in the Berkshire village and civil parishes in England, civil parish of Purley-On-Thames on the south bank of the river, rather than in the Oxfordshire village of Mapledurham on the other side of the river. The lock is accessible from Purley village down Mapledurham Drive, a metalled lane that turns to gravel. The weir stretches across the river, in both counties. The weir runs from the lock island in a long curve across the river between the two villages. However no access is possible across the weir, and without a boat, journeys between the two villages require a lengthy detour via Reading, Berkshire, Reading or Pangbourne. The weir still provides a head of water to drive Maple ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caversham Lock
Caversham Lock is a lock and main weir on the River Thames in England at Reading, Berkshire. Both the lock and main weir are connected to De Bohun Island (colloquially known as Lock Island). The Thames Navigation Commissioners built the original lock in 1778. Additional sluices north of View Island and Heron Island form the whole weir complex. A footbridge, known as The Clappers, passes over the weir and all three islands to connect Lower Caversham to Reading. The weir is upstream of the lock and in the mid-channel. Kings Meadow, Reading, and buildings comprising homes and office blocks adjoin to the south of the lock itself. The island contains a typical lock-keeper's house, a crane depot, small boatyard, and large boathouse owned by the Environment Agency for occasional use by that authority and police in river patrol and maintenance of boats. The head of water provided by the weir is used by Reading Hydro to generate up to 46 kW of electricity. History A weir, mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Temple Lock
Temple Lock is a lock and weir situated on the Buckinghamshire bank of the River Thames near Temple Mill Island opposite Temple Meadows and not far from Hurley, Berkshire. It was first built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1773. The weir runs across from the lock to the Berkshire bank a short distance upstream of the lock. History There are references to a flash lock and winch in the 16th century. There was also a ferry at the lock. The pound lock was built in 1773, the sixth downstream of the eight constructed after the passing of the 1770 navigation act. Like the others it had to be rebuilt in 1782 and though estimates were obtained for stone and timber, timber was chosen because it was cheaper. In 1890 a new lock was built alongside the original one.Fred. S. Thacker ''The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs'' 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles Access to the lock The lock is on the Buckinghamshire bank and can only be reached on foot along the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
