Old Windsor 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 on the

right 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 ...

beside

Old Windsor Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

. The lock marks the downstream end of the New

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 ...

, a

meander cutoff A meander cutoff is a natural form of a cutting or cut in a river occurs when a pronounced meander (hook) in a river is breached by a flow that connects the two closest parts of the hook to form a new channel, a full loop. The steeper drop in grad ...

built in 1822 by the

Thames Navigation Commissioners 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 locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries History The ...

which created

Ham Island Ham Island is an inhabited man-made island of roughly 50 hectares (125 acres) in the River Thames in Old Windsor in England. It was a mature meander of the Thames until a channel was dug, the New Cut, to build Old Windsor Lock which reduced th ...

. The lock and a wider footbridge give access to the island. Two weirs are associated; the smaller adjoins and the larger is upstream. The lock is the ninth lowest of the forty-five on the river.

History

The old name for the site of the lock was "Top of Caps" and the first suggestion for a lock at "Capps" was in 1770. In 1822 the lock cut and lock were built by the

, considerably shortening the navigation and towpath. Instead of a weir, a less formal obstruction,

eel buck An eel buck or eel basket is a type of fish trap that was prevalent in the River Thames in England up to the 20th century. It was used particularly to catch eels, which were a staple part of the London diet. Eel bucks were baskets made of willow ...

s, "Newman's Bucks", retained water around two islets above the cut. The islets measured in the 1890s and 1.4 . The smaller, downstream one, is Lion Island. The first lock keeper was dismissed after demeanors which included digging through the bank of the lock cut and thereby causing the collapse of the new lock cut bridge. The weir was constructed in 1836. In 1868 there was discussion of removing the lock, but instead it was extended with a tumbling bay added. In 1871 the lock cut bridge was rebuilt with the right reserved to lay sewage pipes across it. The island has the sanitation works for Windsor.Technical Drainage Advice Report regarding Wastewater works for Windsor
Old Windsor Parish Council (see

civil parishes in England In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

). Retrieved 24 January 2018. The lock was rebuilt in 1957.

Access

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 ...

for walkers and cyclists links to Ham Lane. A footpath also runs from a long spur road leading to The Manor and The Priory.

Reach above the lock

The cut, is crossed by Ham Bridge from the rest of Old Windsor to Ham Island. Much smaller Lion Island is at the top where the flows split. Then Albert Bridge crosses to

Datchet Datchet is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England, located on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, and the Stoke Hundred, the village was eventually t ...

including at its lowest point, the thin island of Sumptermead Ait. On the Windsor side (

), the river winds round farmland at Princes Consort farm and

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

Home Park. There follows

Victoria Bridge Victoria Bridge may be a reference to: Bridges ;Australia * Victoria Bridge, Brisbane, a road bridge across the Brisbane River in Brisbane * Victoria Bridge, Devonport a road ridge across the Mersey River in Devonport, Tasmania * Victoria Bridge, ...

connecting the upper end of Datchet then a golf course, followed by

Black Potts Railway Bridge Black Potts Railway Bridge carries the railway from London (Waterloo) to Windsor, Berkshire across the River Thames. The Staines to Windsor & Eton Line terminates immediately after the bridge at Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station. The ...

. The railway bridge has a great brick

pier Seaside pleasure pier in England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century. A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out ...

Black Potts Ait Black Potts Ait is an island in the River Thames in England near Windsor, Berkshire. It is on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock and carries Black Potts Railway Bridge The island is a tree-covered triangle which is now at th ...

, behind which the

Jubilee River The Jubilee River is a hydraulic channel in southern England. It is long and is on average wide. It was constructed in the late 1990s and early 2000s to take overflow from the River Thames and so alleviate flooding to areas in and around the ...

rejoins the Thames. The left bank becomes playing fields of

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

. The area known as Black Potts up to

Romney Island Romney Island is an island in the River Thames in England connected to Romney Lock, at Windsor, Berkshire. It is a long thin island with trees and scrub, with the upstream end in Windsor and the downstream end almost at Black Potts. The isla ...

is an attraction where those fishing have included

Isaak Walton Izaak Walton (baptised 21 September 1593 – 15 December 1683) was an English writer. Best known as the author of ''The Compleat Angler'', he also wrote a number of short biographies including one of his friend John Donne. They have been colle ...

who wrote a major work which promoted angling and Charles II in the century before.

Thames Path

The

changes sides upstream at the Albert Bridge, into Datchet including Sumptermead, and returns via Victoria Bridge to the right bank.
A short stretch of river running past Datchet opposite

Home Park, Windsor The Home Park, previously known as the Little Park (and originally Lydecroft Park), is a private Royal park, administered by the Crown Estate. It lies on the eastern side of Windsor Castle in the town and former civil parish of Windsor in the ...

has no towpath access; this is because the original towpath followed the Windsor bank, but a section was removed by the

Windsor Castle Act 1848 The Windsor Castle Act 1848 was a Private Act of Parliament enacted for the British royal family that reformed land use and rights around Windsor Castle, in Berkshire. The Act's main purpose was to create Home Park. All new roads and bridges were ...

which created Home Park and Victoria and Albert Bridges.

References

{{coord, 51, 27, 48, N, 0, 34, 9, W, type:landmark_region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SU994748), display=title Locks on the River Thames Old Windsor

History

Access

Reach above the lock

Thames Path

See also

References