Duke's Cut Lock — South Oxford

[AftApeth]

Does anybody know anything about Duke's Cut Lock on the South Oxford canal? Have just passed a few boats that had turned back towards the Thames from Duke's Cut saying the lock is bust. Can't get close enough to have a look for myself without cruising down to the end and it's a long way to reverse back. I can't see anything on CRT stoppages site. 

[OldGoat]

1 hour ago, AftApeth said:

Does anybody know anything about Duke's Cut Lock on the South Oxford canal? Have just passed a few boats that had turned back towards the Thames from Duke's Cut saying the lock is bust. Can't get close enough to have a look for myself without cruising down to the end and it's a long way to reverse back. I can't see anything on CRT stoppages site. 

Whose lock is it anyway? The bottom gate is canal type, but the top gate (with no paddle) has a ground paddle which is - sort of old Thames Conservancy style.

[Keeping Up]

1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Whose lock is it anyway? The bottom gate is canal type, but the top gate (with no paddle) has a ground paddle which is - sort of old Thames Conservancy style.

That could be the problem. Both CRT and EA say the other one owns the cut (which is one reason it is full of unlicensed boats) and the responsibilities for previous repairs have sometimes taken a long time to resolve.

[OldGoat]

16 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

That could be the problem. Both CRT and EA say the other one owns the cut (which is one reason it is full of unlicensed boats) and the responsibilities for previous repairs have sometimes taken a long time to resolve.

Oh Pooo!

We us the cut because the cruise up through the canal is not as pleasant as it used to be - new student accommodation cuts out the sunlight that the trees dont, the two liftbridges are a pain.

 

Whereas the cruise up Port Meadow is delightful (The Magement pointing out numerous lesser spotted Whoosletits and other birds casts a feeling of rural solitude.

Burning up the meanders after the nunnery is a challenge (keep to the correct side of the navigation markers) and then a sharp turn to the right after a pleasant chat to the cheerful lockie at Kings. Bearing left at the junction with the Wolvecote mill stream (family connections) throws you into the pit of several hundred yards of unkempt trees and boats (some of which I'm sure have been evicted from their more pleasant moorings by Kings lock weir.

It's only a couple of hundred yards long - thus soon forgotten, and it would appear - for ever if the stop lock isn't fixed.

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Keeping Up said:

That could be the problem. Both CRT and EA say the other one owns the cut (which is one reason it is full of unlicensed boats) and the responsibilities for previous repairs have sometimes taken a long time to resolve.

I got in discussion with CRT some time back about the safety of the lock and at that point it seemed they couldn't decide who owned it

[magnetman]

Don't forget the wild horses on portmeadow. 

 

If you can see them for the cows.

 

It's definitely an interesting discussion about whether dukes cut lock is actually needed given the other access option ie Isis Lock. 

 

Hmm. 

 

There may be other priorities for funding.

Edited August 18, 2020 by magnetman

[Dave123]

Apparently it was rammed by a speeding boat. I still can't work out how this can happen given it is the top gate. Surely they weren't trying to open the gate using the boat in the wrong direction?

It was in good condition last week! Much better than many of the other South Oxford locks so obviously has been replaced by someone, pretty sure CRT.

[Nightwatch]

It was okay and passable yesterday morning when we came through. 

[AftApeth]

1 hour ago, Nightwatch said:

It was okay and passable yesterday morning when we came through. 

Looks like I was a few hours too late! Though I still haven't seen it for myself. I'm loath to do the six-hour round cruise to get back to where I should have emerged below Duke's Lock on the canal, so I might just risk cruising down Duke's Cut and having a look-see. That gate is often hard work so there's an outside chance I suppose that somebody found it stiff to budge and gave up, and everyone else took their word for it that it was broken. No reply from CRT and I don't imagine it will get fixed quickly if it is broken. Will report back if I see it first-hand.

[Nightwatch]

That lock can be confusing. The paddle gear is a puzzle in itself. Wife still has splinters In her fingers where she scratched her head.,!

[Scholar Gypsy]

7 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

That lock can be confusing. The paddle gear is a puzzle in itself. Wife still has splinters In her fingers where she scratched her head.,!

I think the ground paddle can operate in either direction, the lock used to have a second pair of gates for when the river is below the canal.

[OldGoat]

Ownership -

 

I think the following is fairly definitive!!

 

(Captured from a Youtube video made last year

 

 

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by OldGoat

[AftApeth]

Just noticed that CRT seem to acknowledge responsibility under 'Notices and stoppages' on their site:

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/1206-lock-44a-dukes-cut-lock-oxford-canal

They fixed it quite quickly just over six years ago. Different times now I suppose.

[magpie patrick]

4 hours ago, Scholar Gypsy said:

I think the ground paddle can operate in either direction, the lock used to have a second pair of gates for when the river is below the canal.

And used to have a second ground paddle at the other end - when it was drained for works a few years ago the culvert could be seen

[Nightwatch]

Fixed now according to a boat passing us at Thrupp.

[mrsmelly]

5 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Fixed now according to a boat passing us at Thrupp.

Blimey are you that close!! I need to get the padlocks on nell bridge lock.

[AftApeth]

3 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Fixed now according to a boat passing us at Thrupp.

Awesome! I just this second got off the phone with CRT. I tried their incident number, rather than the urgent one. A chap told me they've had reports and were waiting for somebody to go and have a look at it. He said there'd be a notice on the stoppages page soon and it would be updated as soon as the lock is back in action. Looks like he might not have the latest info. 

I'm still moored up on a rather pleasant remote spot of the Thames above King's Lock, catching up with work and enjoying the peace and quiet. Will probably head down DC tomorrow afternoon.

[Nightwatch]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Blimey are you that close!! I need to get the padlocks on nell bridge lock.

Brace,brace brace! Incoming.

1 hour ago, AftApeth said:

Awesome! I just this second got off the phone with CRT. I tried their incident number, rather than the urgent one. A chap told me they've had reports and were waiting for somebody to go and have a look at it. He said there'd be a notice on the stoppages page soon and it would be updated as soon as the lock is back in action. Looks like he might not have the latest info. 

I'm still moored up on a rather pleasant remote spot of the Thames above King's Lock, catching up with work and enjoying the peace and quiet. Will probably head down DC tomorrow afternoon.

Please, please, please get confirmation that its definitely open before venturing.

[Dave123]

Someone on facebook (I think one of the official moorings on the south bank right above the lock) said people were trying today and causing damage to the boats there when they needed to reverse back to the Wolvercote mill stream!

Still no email from CRT about it though (and they have sent other out about a tree fallen somewhere else on the canal) so perhaps it is fixed?. Oh well...I'm not heading back that way until October so hopefully all done by then.

 

[Keeping Up]

1 hour ago, Dave123 said:

one of the official moorings on the south bank right above the lock

Are you seriously suggesting that those moorings are official?

 

ETA it would be a short, easy reverse there.

Edited August 19, 2020 by Keeping Up

[Dave123]

1 hour ago, Keeping Up said:

Are you seriously suggesting that those moorings are official?

 

ETA it would be a short, easy reverse there.

I don't know but the ones on the south bank might be, immediately by the lock. They have cleared the land and turned it into a garden so it actually looks quite nice and well cared for. I know the boats on the north bank are squatting. Anyway, not really the point. Was hoping someone would have an update.

[Keeping Up]

I too hope someone comes up with an update. We plan to leave the Thames on Saturday and need to know which way to go. I find it incredible that even an organisation as chaotic as CRT cannot tell us after nearly 48 hours whether or not one of their canals is open for through traffic.

[OldGoat]

2 hours ago, Keeping Up said:

I too hope someone comes up with an update. We plan to leave the Thames on Saturday and need to know which way to go. I find it incredible that even an organisation as chaotic as CRT cannot tell us after nearly 48 hours whether or not one of their canals is open for through traffic.

Unless you're approaching from the Eynsham direction it's not an huge discomfort to use the canal where you can view the student accommodation and the back end of Worcester College's cricket pitch, wave at College Cruisers' boats as you pass their yard and the rest of Crt's crumbling infrastructure... Of course you'll miss the stunning views of the western end of the city and all the tower cranes as you storm up Port Meadow, but you can't have everything!

[Dave123]

It's now fixed apparently anyway. Probably not such extensive damage afterall. 

[AftApeth]

3 hours ago, Dave123 said:

It's now fixed apparently anyway. Probably not such extensive damage afterall. 

Thanks for the update Dave! I'll give it a go this afternoon or early evening and confirm.