Aldermaston Lock is a

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

on the

Kennet and Avon Canal The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the cent ...

, at

Aldermaston Wharf Aldermaston Wharf is a small multi-parish settlement centred north-northwest of Aldermaston (where according to the Post Office the majority of the population taken at the 2011 Census was included) in West Berkshire, England. The Kennet and Avo ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. It stands at the junction of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

es of

Padworth Padworth is a dispersed settlement and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English county of Berkshire, with the nearest town being Tadley. Padworth is in the unitary authority of West Berkshire, and its main settlement is at ...

Beenham Beenham is a village and civil parish centred east of Newbury in the West Berkshire district of Berkshire, England. Geography Beenham is north of Aldermaston. The Old Copse is a woodland within the village that is a Site of Special Scientifi ...

and

Aldermaston Aldermaston is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. In the 2011 Census, the parish had a population of 1015. The village is in the Kennet Valley and bounds Hampshire to the south. It is approximately from Newbury, Basingstoke ...

. Aldermaston Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer

John Hore John HoreAlternative spellings of Hore's surname include "Hoar" and "Hoare" (baptised 13 March 1680 – 12 April 1763Other sources give Hore's year of birth as 1690, and year of death as 1762) was an English engineer, best known for making the Ri ...

of Newbury. It was originally turf-sided, but enlarged in the mid-eighteenth century and given scalloped brick walls. It was altered in 1984 when the walls were raised to the full height of lock as part of its restoration. The original height of the scalloped walls is marked by a line of blue bricks. It was originally called Brewhouse Lock because Strange's Brewery stood beside it. Along with the length of the canal, the lock is the responsibility of the

Canal & River Trust The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...

. It has a rise/fall of . It is a grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. Below the lock is Aldermaston Lift Bridge and Aldermaston Wharf, where the

Kennet and Avon Canal Trust The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust is a Charitable organization, registered charity and waterway society concerned with the protection and maintenance of the Kennet and Avon Canal throughout Wiltshire and Berkshire. History In 1951, the Kennet a ...

operate a

tea room A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

. Image:Aldermaston lock top gate.jpg, Top gates and scalloped lock walls. Image:Aldermastonlockbottom.jpg, A boat leaving the bottom of the lock. Image:Aldermastonlockandwharf.jpg, View of the lock and former wharf area Image:Aldermaston lock 1975.jpg, Aldermaston Lock in 1975 before restoration. File:Lifting Bridge, Aldermaston.jpg, Lift Bridge near Aldermaston Lock.

References

External links

Aldermaston Lock
on www.tonycanalpics.co.uk Grade II listed buildings in Berkshire Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal Locks of Berkshire West Berkshire District Grade II listed canals {{Berkshire-struct-stub

See also

References

External links