Abingdon Lock
Encyclopedia
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in England, less than 1 mile east and upstream of Abingdon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
on the opposite bank of the river. It was originally built in 1790 by the Thames Navigation Commission
Thames Navigation Commission
The Thames Navigation Commission used to manage the River Thames in southern England. 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 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
Swift Ditch
The Swift Ditch is a backwater of the River Thames in England, which was formerly the primary navigation channel. With the main river, it creates the large island of Andersey Island near Abingdon, Oxfordshire....
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
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
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
Oxford-Burcot Commission
The Oxford-Burcot Commission was the first Commission concerned with the management of the River Thames, appointed by an Act of Parliament of 1605 by James I to make the stretch of river from Burcot to Oxford navigable. The Commission took responsibility for the management of the River Thames...
in 1635 making it then the navigation route. In 1788 several citizens of Abingdon wanted to divert navigation back to the current course, possibly taking into account the Wilts & Berks Canal which was to connect to the current navigation channel at Abingdon within ten years. As a result Abingdon Lock was built near the town and opened at the end of 1790. The lock-keeper's house was reported in 1811 to be half a mile downstream of the lock - probably at the abbey millhouse.
Access to the lock
The lock can be reached on a track heading north from Abingdon BridgeAbingdon Bridge
Abingdon Bridge consists of a pair of bridges across the River Thames at the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. It carries the A415 road from Abingdon to Dorchester, Oxfordshire – and crosses the Thames on the reach above Culham Lock, just below Abingdon Lock.The bridge is actually two...
on the Andersey Island
Andersey Island
Andersey Island is a large island in the River Thames in England near Abingdon, Oxfordshire on the reach above Culham Lock.The island is created by a division in the stream of the river between the main navigation channel and the Swift Ditch backwater. The Swift Ditch used to be the main course of...
side. Alternatively it is possible to walk along the river from the town through the abbey grounds and cross the weir.
Reach above the lock
Abingdon Abbey
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine monastery also known as St Mary's Abbey located in Abingdon, historically in the county of Berkshire but now in Oxfordshire, England.-History:...
in the 10th century to provide navigation and mill water to the abbey itself. For the first few hundred yards the river has turned back on itself making the northern bank temporarily on the southern side. On this side of the lock is Andersey Island
Andersey Island
Andersey Island is a large island in the River Thames in England near Abingdon, Oxfordshire on the reach above Culham Lock.The island is created by a division in the stream of the river between the main navigation channel and the Swift Ditch backwater. The Swift Ditch used to be the main course of...
created by Swift Ditch. The first outflow is the site of the old lock, and the second channel is the original weir stream. Further upstream the Nuneham Railway Bridge
Nuneham Railway Bridge
Nuneham Railway Bridge is a railway bridge in England near the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It carries the Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot and Oxford across the River Thames between Abingdon Lock and Sandford Lock. The current bridge was built in 1929 and has also been called the Black...
(known as Black Bridge) carried the railway line to Oxford. Upstream of this the river turns northwards at the heavily wooded Lock Wood Island
Lock Wood Island
Lock Wood Island is an island in the River Thames in England just downstream of Nuneham House on the reach above Abingdon Lock.The island sits on a sharp bend in the river. It is densely covered with tall trees and has a narrow channel behind it...
on the eastern bank with the old Radley Boathouse on the opposite side. Beyond the island the river is flanked by Nuneham Park, belonging to Nuneham House
Nuneham House
Nuneham House is a Palladian villa, at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire England. It was built for Simon Harcourt, 1st Earl Harcourt in 1756. It is owned by Oxford University and is currently used as a retreat centre by the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University...
with the Jacobean Carfax Water Tower on a hill in the grounds ahead of the Palladian house itself. On the western side the terrain is open farmland with the town of Radley
Radley
Radley is a village and civil parish about northwest of the centre of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Lower Radley on the River Thames. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire....
beyond. Near here and on that side on the river is the Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
boathouse. On the opposite side, meadows for grazing cattle stretch up to Sandford Lock.
The Thames Path
Thames Path
The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about long....
, which crosses the river at the lock, follows the western bank all the way to Sandford Lock.