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Cromwell Lock is a large
Cromwell Lock is a large navigation lock
A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water lev ...
on the River Trent
The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
, England. The first lock to be built on the site was constructed by the Trent Navigation Company, having been authorised by an Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
obtained in 1906. Construction began in late 1908, as soon as the Company had raised sufficient capital.''The Canals of the East Midlands'', (1970), p203, Charles Hadfield, David and Charles, The lock was extended in 1935, when an extra pair of gates were added downstream of the main lock, effectively forming a second lock. The lock was further improved in 1960, when the two locks were made into one, capable of holding eight standard Trent barges.
Cromwell Weir by the side of the lock is one of the largest 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 ...
s on the Trent and marks the tidal limit of the river.
On 28 September 1975, during an eighty-mile, night navigation exercise in extreme weather
Extreme weather or extreme climate events includes unexpected, unusual, severe, or unseasonal weather; weather at the extremes of the historical distribution—the range that has been seen in the past. Often, extreme events are based on a loca ...
conditions, ten members of the 131 Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers were killed after a power failure caused the navigation lights on the weir to go out and their boat went over the crest. A memorial garden with a block of Scottish granite bearing the names of the men who died, lies next to the lock.
The site is defined by the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...
as the nearest tidal location to Coton in the Elms
Coton in the Elms is a village and parish in the English county of Derbyshire. At from the coast, it is the one of the furthest places in the United Kingdom from coastal waters. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 896. ...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
, which is the furthest point from the sea in Great Britain, away.
See also
*131 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers
131 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers is an Army Reserve unit and part of 24 Commando Regiment Royal Engineers. It provides engineering support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines (3 Cdo Bde RM) and is the largest Army Reserve Commando unit. The ...
References
{{authority control Locks of Nottinghamshire River Trent