The Black Sluice is the name given to the structure that controls the flow of the South Forty-Foot Drain

South Forty-foot drain

The South Forty-Foot Drain is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston...

 into The Haven

The Haven, Boston

The Haven is the tidal river of the Port of Boston, Lincolnshire in England. It provides access for shipping between Boston Deeps in The Wash and the town, particularly, the dock. It also serves as the outfall into the sea, of the River Witham and of several major land drains of the northern Fens...

, at Boston, Lincolnshire

Boston, Lincolnshire

Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Borough of Boston local government district and had a total population of 55,750 at the 2001 census...

, England

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...

.

History and ownership

The original Black Sluice was probably the Skirbeck Sluice where Earl of Lindsey

Earl of Lindsey

Earl of Lindsey is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1626 for the 14th Baron Willoughby de Eresby . He was First Lord of the Admiralty from 1635 to 1636 and also established his claim in right of his mother to the hereditary office of Lord Great Chamberlain of England...

's 1635 attempt to drain what was then called the Lindsey Levels ran to the sea. The ensuing battle with the population left the works destroyed, and this seems to be the origin of the name Black Sluice. The name became associated with the area drained by the original 40 foot drain, and has been used for each successive outfall from the area, and for the name of the authority responsible for the drainage. Created in 1765 the Black Sluice Commissioners are succeeded today by the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board

Internal Drainage Board

An internal drainage board is a type of operating authority which is established in areas of special drainage need in England and Wales with permissive powers to undertake work to secure clean water drainage and water level management within drainage districts...

 and a range of interlocking boards and authorities:The Witham and Steeping Rivers Catchment Board, Lincolnshire River Board. National Rivers Authority, and now the Environment Agency.

There have been at least three Black Sluices, the latest of which incorporates the pumping station built in 1946.

The lock

The lock which gave passage past the Black Sluice fell into disrepair after the second world war, but has recently been restored to full operation as part of the Fens Waterways Link

Fens Waterways Link

The Fens Waterways Link is a project to improve recreational boating opportunities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England. By a combination of improvements to existing waterways and the construction of new links a circular route between Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely and Boston is...

 scheme to improve navigation through the fens for pleasure craft. The new lock can handle boats up to 21 metres (68.9 ft) long, 6 metres (19.7 ft) broad, and with draught of up to 2.8 metres (9.2 ft) on the most favourable tides. While the lock itself has no airdraught restrictions, London Road Bridge, immediately upstream has limited headroom in the form of an arch at nearly 3.4 metres (11.2 ft) in the centre and as little as 1.7 metres (5.6 ft) at the lowest usable point. Connection to Lincoln is further restricted by the size of the lock at the Grand Sluice, which is 12 by, although longer vessels can pass through at certain states of the tide.

Black Sluice Lock is not permanently manned, so bookings for transit will need to be made a minimum of 24 hours in advance.

There is a small visitors centre at the new Lock.

See also

• South Forty-Foot Drain
  South Forty-foot drain
  The South Forty-Foot Drain is the main channel for the land-drainage of the Black Sluice Level in the Lincolnshire Fens. It lies in eastern England between Guthram Gowt and the Black Sluice pumping station on The Haven, at Boston...
  
   for considerable detail about the various sluices.
• The Forty Foot drains in Lincolnshire
• Fens Waterways Link
  Fens Waterways Link
  The Fens Waterways Link is a project to improve recreational boating opportunities in the counties of Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, England. By a combination of improvements to existing waterways and the construction of new links a circular route between Lincoln, Peterborough, Ely and Boston is...
  
  
• River Witham
  River Witham
  The River Witham is a river, almost entirely in the county of Lincolnshire, in the east of England. It rises south of Grantham close to South Witham, at SK8818, passes Lincoln at SK9771 and at Boston, TF3244, flows into The Haven, a tidal arm of The Wash, near RSPB Frampton Marsh...
  
  

External links

• Newspaper report of lock re-opening
• Geographs of the Black Sluice pumping station
• Tourist information
• The Easterling, June 2009 Journal of the East Anglian waterways association, describing the re-opening and giving a detailed history of the waterway and construction of the new lock.
• Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board