Aldermaston Lock is a lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal

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 commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...

, at Aldermaston Wharf

Aldermaston Wharf

Aldermaston Wharf is a small settlement situated north-northwest of Aldermaston in the West Berkshire district, part of the English county of Berkshire. The Kennet and Avon Canal and Great Western Railway pass through it and Aldermaston railway station and Aldermaston Lock are located here. The A4...

 in the English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 county of Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

. It stands at the junction of the civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es of Padworth

Padworth

Padworth is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, between Burghfield Common and Tadley.Padworth is in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, not far from the Hampshire border...

, Beenham

Beenham

Beenham is a village and civil parish about east of Newbury in West Berkshire.-History:The history of the Church of England parish church of Saint Mary begins in about the end of the 12th century. An old print of the original building shows that it had some 13th century lancet windows and a 16th...

 and Aldermaston

Aldermaston

Aldermaston is a rural village, civil parish and electoral ward in Berkshire, South-East England. In the 2001 United Kingdom Census, the parish had a population of 927. The village is on the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire county boundary...

.

Aldermaston Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore

John Hore

John Hore was an English navigation engineer notable for engineering the River Kennet navigation in 1718.Born in Newbury, Berkshire to a line of maltsters, worked alongside his father. When his father acquired part-ownership of the River Kennet, he also invested...

 of Newbury. It was originally turf-sided, but enlarged in the mid-eighteenth century and given scalloped brick walls. It was altered in 1984 when the walls were raised to the full height of lock as part of its restoration. The original height of the scalloped walls is marked by a line of blue bricks.

It was originally called Brewhouse Lock because Strange's Brewery stood beside it.

Today the canal is administered by British Waterways

British Waterways

British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...

. The lock has a rise/fall of 8 in 11 in (2.72 m).

It is a grade II listed building.
200 yards (182.9 m) towards Reading along the tow path, you can find the K & A Tea Room & Visitor Centre, Opening Tues - Sun 9.30 - 6pm. Open All Year.

External links

• Aldermaston Lock on www.tonycanalpics.co.uk