Which lock is this?

[davidg]

Came across this while looking at some other photos* in the NRM archive:

 

 

Caption reads "Canal lock about 1900" and description says "Lock on the Shropshire Union Canal near Chester...."

 

Given that later there is this:

 

 

 

 

Captioned "Tub Boat on the Shropshire Union Canal, about 1900"

 

I would guess both are on the Shropshire tub boat canals. My chimney certainly wouldn't fit under that gate even when fully raised.

 

Both photos copyright National Railway Museum and SSPL

 

*The luggage transporter at Manchester Victoria if you're interested. Take a look - wonderful piece of kit

[stagedamager]

The first one I thought was on the Shrewsbury and Newport. Can't remember where exactly though.

[Derek R.]

The inclined plane is surely the Hay, at Coalport:

 

http://tinyurl.com/nu9lhuk

[stagedamager]

Trench was my first thought but I think you may be right.

[Laurence Hogg]

The lock is one of several near to Trench in Hadley Park, some are in the grounds of the GKN works but that one certainly isn't and could be any of the three in Hadley Park. It is not Trench lock which led to the Inclined plane shown which is the Trench incline. You can still visit the site today and find the docks at the top partially in situ.

[Laurence Hogg]

This lock was in the same flight and was in excellent order, this section up to Trench was the last bit to see traffic. Parts of this lock went to BW at Stoke Bruerne.

The lock house still stands today, not sure how much of the lock there is however.

 

Edited March 29, 2015 by Laurence Hogg

[zenataomm]

The first photo is of Sutton Stop (Hawkesbury Jctn.) The lock was built before they realised there was only a difference in level of 6". As a result the Sutton family requisitioned the lock and used it to slice ham and cheese.

 

The second photo shows the success of HS 1½, it just never quite worked you see?

 

Edited once times because LH has added a third one. This is the middle of The Thick on The Ashby, you'll notice the level is the same either side. A well known feature on all of Ashby locks.

Edited March 29, 2015 by zenataomm

[Laurence Hogg]

The first photo is of Sutton Stop (Hawkesbury Jctn.) The lock was built before they realised there was only a difference in level of 6". As a result the Sutton family requisitioned the lock and used it to slice ham and cheese.

 

The second photo shows the success of HS 1½, it just never quite worked you see?

 

Edited once times because LH has added a third one. This is the middle of The Thick on The Ashby, you'll notice the level is the same either side. A well known feature on all of Ashby locks.

There is a known cure for this, but you must understand w]things clearly, joim CRT all will become CL-E----A====AR.

[Derek R.]

Quite a fascinating area. It seems there were seven inclined planes on the set of canals between Oakengates and Coalport, though the pittdixon link lists six.

Also interesting that some were far steeper than others. The Hay apparently used chain to haul the cradles up and down, whereas others used wire rope.

 

Almost on my doorstep - ought to get out more.

 

Details:

 

http://www.pittdixon.go-plus.net/stbc/stbc.htm

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/343711

http://tinyurl.com/pr2k84x

Schematic map:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wombridge_Canal

[Pluto]

Without looking anything up, I would be surprised if wire rope was used from the start, as its use only increased towards the end of the 19th century as quality improved. I have a downloadable article on a visit to the Westphalian wire industry in 1878 by a Warrington engineer, that town being the centre of wire rope manufacture in the UK. http://www.mikeclarke.myzen.co.uk/Industrial%20History%20Resources.htm

[Sir Nibble]

This lock was in the same flight and was in excellent order, this section up to Trench was the last bit to see traffic. Parts of this lock went to BW at Stoke Bruerne.

The lock house still stands today, not sure how much of the lock there is however.

 

Someone left the gate open, hunt them down and flog them.

[bizzard]

Someone left the gate open, hunt them down and flog them.

Bin men again no doubt. Hunt the blighters down at the local council depot.

[tarboat]

One thing to note about these locks is that they were built for tub boats and are 81ft 5" long and only 6ft 4" wide. Narrowboats that traded to the Trench ironworks were therefore built even narrower than normal and were indeed referred to as "Trench boats"! I am sure that I Charlie Atkins told me that he was born on a Trench boat down on this section of canal.

[RLWP]

Someone left the gate open, hunt them down and flog them.

 

Or have they left the paddle up? It's hard to tell

 

Richard

[Derek R.]

In post #1 the gate is mostly up and so is the paddle, and in post #6 the gate is just three feet up (approx) and the paddle is definitely closed.

 

Tarboat mentions the narrow widths, and they did vary a bit. Details are in the pittdixon link post #9.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Derek R.

[RLWP]

What a fool I am. I assumed that the gate was also the paddle, yet there is clearly a paddle on the gate

 

Richard

[Joseph]

Hello everyone

 

I think this is Hadley Park Lock, shown on Tony Clayton's photos: http://www.tonycanalpics.co.uk/shrewcan/hp/index.html

 

Any thoughts on dates, for each? clearly pre-1922 for the Trench inclined plane. "c.1900" is all too vague.

 

Regards

Joseph

 

https://josephboughey.wordpress.com/

[Capt Ahab]

I spent many happy days exploring the Tub Boat canals around what is now Telford. There were six real inclines which carried the tub boats plus a seventh which dropped small boxes on wheels down from the end of the Horsehay Arm to the ironworks at Coalbrookdale.

The first incline was on the Ketley canal and the tokens pressed at the time clearly show cables being used - but they did use small boats on the early canal.

The evolution of the British Inclined plane is a fascinating subject which runs from Ketley to Foxton but its a frustrating subject due to the lack of photographic records.

The record of my wanderings can be found from the links on the following blog pages.

 

http://captainahabswaterytales.blogspot.co.uk/p/tub-boat-canals.html

 

I could bore on the subject of these under researched canals for ages.

[Derek R.]

Excellent work Capt., so much now under redevelopment it's amazing you were able to track the remains.

[Bee]

I keep meaning to research this. The inclined plane at Coalport leads down to a short section of canal, now in water, the middle bit is under car parks and houses and the dry channel runs for a couple of hundred yards past this. The Brewery Inn is on the bank of the dry bit and at the back of the building clearly shows where barrels would have been loaded onto boats, next time I`m passing I'll take a pic and try to post it. I always assumed that there was no return loads going back up the inclined plane but perhaps there was.

[Pluto]

This is the map I did for the book 'Canal Lifts and Inclines of the World', in which there are also contemporary drawings of the inclines. The book is still available on the Inland Waterways International website.