Buscot 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

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in England, near the village of

Buscot Buscot is an English village and civil parish on the River Thames, about south-east of Lechlade. Buscot was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. Two houses there contain notable collections of pain ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. The lock was built of stone by the

Thames Navigation Commission The Thames Navigation Commission managed the River Thames in southern England from 1751 to 1866. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries History The f ...

in 1790 and is the smallest on the River Thames. Like most of the Upper Thames Locks, it still has its heavy wooden beams which the lock keeper uses to open and close the gates. The new

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

was created in 1979 when a cut was made through fields on the southern side of the lock. Of an unusual cresting design, it is now a

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

picnic area. The weir was previously on the northern side of the lock. The area is rich in flora and fauna, and a frequent haunt for otters, kites and kingfishers.

History

Before the construction of the lock, a

flash lock A flash lock is a type of lock for river or canal transport. Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times. Developme ...

was in place at Buscot weir to help navigation. When the lock was built the weir was owned by

Edward Loveden Loveden Edward Loveden Loveden (ca. 1749/1751–1822) was an English Member of Parliament (MP), sometimes described as a Whig but often not voting with that party. Life The date of birth of Edward Loveden Loveden, whose birthname was Edward Lovede ...

Buscot Park Buscot Park is a country house at Buscot near the town of Faringdon in Oxfordshire within the historic boundaries of Berkshire. It is a Grade II* listed building. It was built in an austere neoclassical style between 1780 and 1783 for Edward ...

, who was a very strong champion of Thames navigation. The pound lock was built by J. Nock who also built St John's Lock at the same time after the opening of the

Thames and Severn Canal The Thames and Severn Canal is a canal in Gloucestershire in the south-west of England, which was completed in 1789. It was conceived as part of a cargo route from Bristol and the Midlands to London, linking England's two largest rivers for bett ...

.Fred. S. Thacker ''The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs'' 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles At first it was often alluded to as the "New Lock". The lock keeper's cottage was built in 1791 and features a fish house. The old weir was renewed by Lord Faringdon of Buscot Park in 1909, and was replaced by the new cut and weir in 1979.

Reach above the lock

The river winds and doubles back on itself sharply on the short stretch upstream. Buscot Park is above the lock. Robert Tertius Campbell who bought it in 1859 built a factory to distill alcohol from

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

. He supplied water to his estate from the river via a set of water wheels, but closed the undertaking in 1879. The property is now owned by the National Trust. Upstream, Bloomers Hole Footbridge crosses the river, then the River Cole enters from the southern bank, the

River Leach The River Leach is a river tributary to the River Thames, in England which runs mostly in Gloucestershire. It is approximately 18 miles (29 km) long, springing from the limestone uplands of the Cotswolds. In parts of its course it becomes a ...

enters from the northern bank, and finally St John's Bridge marks the beginning of St John's Lock. The

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it onl ...

follows the northern bank from Buscot Lock to Bloomers Hole Footbridge, where it crosses the river.

References

External links

Buscot Lock
at riverthames.co.uk
Picture of Buscot Lock
at geograph.co.uk {{coord, 51.68030, -1.66874, type:landmark_region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SU230980), display=title Locks on the River Thames

History

Reach above the lock

See also

References

External links