Dutton Locks is a historic

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 Weaver The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included ...

in Cheshire, England. The locks are Grade II listed with

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

. The locks are still in use and form a destination for walkers and cyclists. Dutton Locks is also the name of a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

of approximately six residences adjacent to the locks.

Description

There are two locks built in 1874 for the Weaver Navigation Company. The lock gates are driven by Pelton turbines and semaphores control access to the locks. The locks raise or lower boats by 2.4m (8 feet) and they are 7.3m (24 feet) deep when the locks are full. The largest ship ever to use the lock was the 1,000 tonne capacity ''St. Michael'' from the Netherlands, which passed through in 1984.

Facilities

The locks can only be accessed on land via a footpath along the river; consequently they are used as a recreational destination for walkers, horse riders and cyclists. The footpath forms part of the Weaver Way, a hiking trail between

Audlem Audlem is a village and civil parish located in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in North West England, approximately south of Nantwich. Close to the border with the neighbouring county of Shropshire, t ...

and

Frodsham Frodsham is a market town, civil parish, and electoral ward in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Its population was 8,982 in 2001, increasing to 9,077 at the 2011 Census. It is s ...

. It is also on

National Cycle Route 5 Route Reading to Birmingham Didcot , Abingdon-on-Thames , Radley , Oxford , Banbury , Stratford upon Avon , Bromsgrove , Birmingham Route 5, as signposted between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham, runs via Bromsgrove and at the latte ...

. The locks are managed by the

Canal and 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, th ...

and mooring is allowed with a permit. There is a shipwreck at the locks, of a boat called the ''Chica'', built in 1894. The locks are a short distance from two other Grade II listed landmarks – Dutton Horse Bridge and Dutton Sluice – and the Grade II* listed

Dutton Viaduct Dutton Viaduct is on the West Coast Main Line where it crosses the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation between the villages of Dutton and Acton Bridge in Cheshire, England (), not far from Dutton Horse Bridge. It is recorded in the Nationa ...

References

{{coord, 53.2876, -2.6218, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Tourist attractions in Cheshire Locks of England Parks and open spaces in Cheshire 1874 establishments in England

Description

Facilities

See also

References