Chertsey Lock is a

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

in England, against the left

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becau ...

, an area of

Green Belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenway (lan ...

including Laleham Park, the largest public park in Spelthorne. It faces the town of

Chertsey Chertsey is a town in the Borough of Runnymede, Surrey, England, south-west of central London. It grew up round Chertsey Abbey, founded in 666 CE, and gained a market charter from Henry I. A bridge across the River Thames first appeared in ...

and is the fifth-lowest of the forty-four locks along the non-tidal course of the river. Owing to a course alteration both banks at the site of the lock have been since medieval times in Surrey. Stone-built

Chertsey Bridge Chertsey Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in England, connecting Chertsey to low-lying riverside meadows in Laleham, Surrey. It is downstream from the M3 motorway bridge over the Thames and is close to Chertsey Lock on the rea ...

built in 1785 is 210 m south (downstream) of the lock. The lock was built by the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...

in 1813, lengthened in 1893 and again in 1913. The lock adjoins a small thin island created in its building accessible by boat that connects Chertsey Weir.

History

Upstream lay shallows known to ground boats, Laleham Gulls; to resolve this, proposals including the building up of banks, a weir and lock were made. The land was surveyed for a lock in 1793, producing a Bill which was disallowed by parliament. An 1805 proposal followed for a

cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

along the length of Laleham, with a pound lock at the lower end; it was resisted by local landowners. A proposal was authorised by parliament in 1810 a short way upstream which

Lord Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British peer who disappeared after being suspected of murder. He was an Anglo-I ...

, owner of the manor of Laleham, asked to have modified to be out of view of his home which he expended monies in building and redesigning, hosting in the same era the temporarily ousted Portuguese monarch, Laleham Manor House (later

apartments An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

in a

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

). A new Act in 1812 authorised the downstream site where building was implemented. The lock was opened in 1813 and the lock-house on the left bank completed. The lock was lengthened in 1893 and again in 1913.Fred. S. Thacker ''The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs'' 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles The lock was built with two compartments. The central gates have since been removed. Parochially the low-lying left bank is an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of the town of

reflecting a former sharp bend of the river which ate into the rest of the bank above

Dumsey Meadow Dumsey Meadow is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Chertsey and Shepperton in Surrey. It is the only piece of undeveloped water meadow unfenced by the river remaining on the River Thames below Caversham. This unimprove ...

, since 1974 administered by

Spelthorne Borough Council Spelthorne may refer to: * Borough of Spelthorne Spelthorne is a local government district and borough in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Staines-upon-Thames; other settlements in the area include Ashford, Sunbury-on-Thames, Shepper ...

combined with

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party h ...

Access and amenities

The lock is accessible via the left (towpath) bank which adjoins humped Thames Side, a road, downstream are eating and drinking establishments with hotel facilities, the Kingfisher and the Boathouse on opposite banks close to Chertsey Bridge.

Reach above the lock

;Right Bank Below

Penton Hook Marina Penton Hook Marina is the largest inland marina in Britain. It is situated on the River Thames in Surrey between Staines and Chertsey on the western bank of the river and is close to Thorpe Park. It is on the reach above Chertsey Lock and oppo ...

at the top of the reach adjoining houses and small boatyards is the offtake of the Abbey River enclosing

Laleham Burway Laleham Burway is a tract of water-meadow and former water-meadow between the River Thames and Abbey River in the far north of Chertsey in Surrey. Its uses are varied. Part is Laleham Golf Club. Semi-permanent park homes in the west forms resid ...

, Chertsey a very large island on the right bank which rejoins the Thames below Chertsey Lock; has housing in the north then areas of reeds and nettles; inland are a small reservoir and groundwater water works. ;Left The left bank across and near Penton Hook Island is part of the

clustered village A ''Haufendorf'' is an enclosed village with irregular plots of land and farms of greatly differing scale, usually surrounded by a stockade fence (German: ''Ortsetter''). They are typically found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, whence the nam ...

of Laleham until

Penton Hook Lock Penton Hook Lock is the sixth lowest lock of forty four on the non-tidal reaches of the River Thames in England. It faces an island which was until its construction a pronounced meander (a hook) and is on the site of its seasonal cutoff. It ...

— a line of riverside houses with gardens. This is followed by Burway and Sir William Perkins School Rowing Clubs. From inland a humped road follows the river and Laleham Park to Chertsey Lock. In

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically at ...

, Burway Junior Regatta and Burway Head are annual races. An inlet along the upper left bank feeds around per day of water into the

Queen Mary Reservoir The Queen Mary Reservoir is one of the largest of London's reservoirs supplying fresh water to London and parts of surrounding counties, and is located in the Borough of Spelthorne in Surrey. The reservoir covers and is above the surrounding ar ...

.Spelthorne Borough Council ''A Walk round Laleham village''
Downstream the river is crossed by a bridge carrying the M3 motorway.

Thames Path

The

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it only opened in 1996. The ...

follows the

left bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...

above and below the lock.

References

{{Runnymede Locks on the River Thames

History

Access and amenities

Reach above the lock

Thames Path

See also

References