ancient boats

[Derek R.]

On a practical note if you would like to experience an old canal with timber frame locks, self closing gates, rising flood stop gates all as a result of Brindleys experiments ( he built the first lock in the grounds of his Stafford New Hall home ) then come and enjoy the Droitwich Barge Canal while it is still peaceful.His lock on to the Severn was a great 1768 construction built under difficult tide conditions.

 

Strange you should mention that Max, I'm actually reading Rolt's 'Navigable Waterways' just now, a veritable mine of which engineers did what and when.

 

It was Leonardo Da Vinci who designed a lock chamber with gates and opening sluices, but whether he built one is not known by me. The first pound lock in England seems to be on the Exeter canal, a short lateral canal beside the Rivere Exe, and built in 1564, followed by one at Waltham Abbey on the River Lea in 1571. Then three on the Thames at Iffley, Sandford, and Swift Ditch. But these were on river navigations, previously navigated with some difficulty through 'Flash gates' and with the associated objections of various Mill owners. Apart from Roman influences on man made 'cuts', the real business of canal building came a little later.

[Pluto]

Strange you should mention that Max, I'm actually reading Rolt's 'Navigable Waterways' just now, a veritable mine of which engineers did what and when.

 

It was Leonardo Da Vinci who designed a lock chamber with gates and opening sluices, but whether he built one is not known by me. The first pound lock in England seems to be on the Exeter canal, a short lateral canal beside the Rivere Exe, and built in 1564, followed by one at Waltham Abbey on the River Lea in 1571. Then three on the Thames at Iffley, Sandford, and Swift Ditch. But these were on river navigations, previously navigated with some difficulty through 'Flash gates' and with the associated objections of various Mill owners. Apart from Roman influences on man made 'cuts', the real business of canal building came a little later.

Bertola da Novate was the first person to build a chamber lock in Europe, on the Canal de Bereguardo near Milan, which opened in 1458. The idea may have come from China via explorers like Marco Polo, though this has not been confirmed. Da Vinci built a canal in the centre of Milan in 1790s, which used his particular design of gate paddle, and which is illustrated in his papers. Shortly afterwards, Da Vinci was thrown out of Italy, and he came under the protection of the King of France. This may be one of the reasons France subsequently became the main location for the development of canals, with all the necessary technology used on the Canal du Midi, opened 1682. The technicalities were published in the four volumes of Architecture Hydraulique, the last volume published in 1754, when the Duke of Bridgewater was in France on the Grand Tour. He probably purchased a copy, which is well illustrated with technical drawings, and certainly visited the Canal du Midi.