Woolhampton 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

Kennet and Avon Canal The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the c ...

, in the village of

Woolhampton Woolhampton is a village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. The village straddles the Bath road between the towns of Reading, to the east, and Newbury, to the west. Geography The village homes are clustered on the northern side o ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

county of

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 has a rise/fall of and is administered by the

Canal and River Trust The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...

. Woolhampton Lock lies on the stretch of the canal that was originally built between 1718 and 1723, under the supervision of the engineer

John Hore John HoreAlternative spellings of Hore's surname include "Hoar" and "Hoare" (baptised 13 March 1680 – 12 April 1763Other sources give Hore's year of birth as 1690, and year of death as 1762) was an English engineer, best known for making the Ri ...

of Newbury, as the ''Kennet Navigation''. This navigation is an improved river navigation rather than a true canal, and consists of sections of the natural riverbed of the

River Kennet The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which ...

alternating with artificially created lock cuts and locks. Woolhampton Lock is at the downstream end of an artificial lock cut, and the river and lock cut rejoin at the foot of the lock. Just to the east and downstream of this, the navigable river is crossed by a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then p ...

carrying the road from the centre of Woolhampton village to the nearby village of

Brimpton Brimpton is a mostly rural village and civil parish in West Berkshire, England. Brimpton is centred ESE of the town of Newbury. Toponymy One suggested origin of the name of Brimpton comes from "Brynni's Town"; Brynni was an Anglo-Saxon o ...

. Craft are warned to enter or leave the lock and pass under the open bridge in a single movement, since the current from the incoming river tends to push boats off course and there is nowhere to moor between the lock and bridge. Adjacent to this bridge is the ''Row Barge''

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

.Ordnance Survey (2006). ''OS Explorer Map 158 - Newbury & Hungerford''. .

References

External links

Woolhampton and Heale's Locks
on www.tonycanalpics.co.uk Locks of Berkshire Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal {{Berkshire-struct-stub

See also

References

External links