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Beeston Lock River Trent


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Hi guys,

 

I'm having a look at the history of the Trent Navigation. It appears that the river was managed without locks in the early days, but difficulties in getting canal boats (as opposed to Trent Barges) to Nottingham from upstream lead to the navigation company constructiong the Beeston Cut, linking with the nottingham Canal, to allow a still water route into the city. This was necessary because the gradient is quite severe on this length compared to upstream to Trent lock and Derwent Mouth. This is a simplified precis to allow reaers to make sense of my question, so please don't nit-pick!

 

At Beeston, there is evidence of a side lock that would allow vessels to return to the river immediatley having passed through the lock off the river: this would have been necessary as the weir, needed for the canal route, blocked the river.

 

Question is, was this lock ever used? and if so when was the last time?

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Rumor was that because all the old pit mining works have collapsed and filled in they were going to dredge a channel through clifton grove and re use the lock this was a couple of years back so probably won`t get done for 10 years or more. one boat missed the junction at meadow lock a couple of years ago and manged to get all the way to the weir but grounded when turning around and got stuck till it rained to refloat him

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  • 10 years later...

The side lock was used. It was for lighter boats that could navigate the trent shallows near Nottingham and so did not want to pay the toll fees to use the cut.

 

Due to the drop in water level caused by the weir  it had double gates to stop damage to the gates when the river flooded

 

There was a stone bridge that crossed over to the weir cottages (now Canalside  Heritage Centre)   and lock keepers house , the remains of which are the base of the existing iron bridge

 

Don't know when last used

CHC wilde June 16.jpg

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12 minutes ago, Graham Stamper said:

The side lock was used. It was for lighter boats that could navigate the trent shallows near Nottingham and so did not want to pay the toll fees to use the cut.

 

Due to the drop in water level caused by the weir  it had double gates to stop damage to the gates when the river flooded

 

There was a stone bridge that crossed over to the weir cottages (now Canalside  Heritage Centre)   and lock keepers house , the remains of which are the base of the existing iron bridge

 

Don't know when last used

CHC wilde June 16.jpg

What a fascinating picture! Thank you!

 

 

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