Isis Lock (known to

boatmen A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

as "Louse 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 ...

connecting the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in central England linking the City of Oxford with the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury (just north of Coventry and south of Bedworth) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to the River Thame ...

and the

Castle Mill Stream Castle Mill Stream is a backwater of the River Thames in the west of Oxford, England. It is 5.5 km long. Course The stream leaves the main course of the River Thames at the south end of Port Meadow, immediately upstream of Medley Footb ...

, a backwater of 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 ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Location

The Isis Lock is close to

Sheepwash Channel Sheepwash Channel connects the River Thames to the west and the Castle Mill Stream next to the Oxford Canal to the east (linked through Isis Lock), in west Oxford, England. To the north are Cripley Meadow (largely allotments) and Fiddler's Isla ...

, just to the south and linking with the River Thames to the west. To the west of the lock are

Rewley Road Rewley Road is in the west of central Oxford, England. It is located in St Thomas's parish. History The name derives from Rewley Abbey. A ''Rewley Lane'' (or ''Ruley Lane'') existed in 1538. Oxford Rewley Road railway station used to be locat ...

, the Cherwell Valley Line, and the

Cotswold Line The Cotswold Line is an railway line between and in England. History Early years The line between Oxford and Worcester was built under an 1845 Act of Parliament and opened in 1851 as part of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway. ...

, just north of

Oxford railway station Oxford railway station is a mainline railway station, one of two serving the city of Oxford, England. It is about west of the city centre, north-west of Frideswide Square and the eastern end of Botley Road. It is on the line for trains between ...

. To the east over the Oxford Canal are the grounds of

Worcester College Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...

, one of the colleges of

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. There is a

winding hole A winding hole () is a widened area of a canal (usually in the United Kingdom), used for turning a canal boat such as a narrowboat. In sea ports an area for turning ships is usually called a turning basin. Etymology The word is commonly believed ...

for boats to turn on the Oxford Canal just to the north of the lock.

History

In central Oxford, the Oxford Canal and the River Thames were originally linked by 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 ...

Hythe Bridge Hythe Bridge (formerly known as High Bridge) is a Victorian flat cast iron beamed bridge on Hythe Bridge Street in the west of central Oxford, England. It spans the Castle Mill Stream, a backwater of the River Thames. Hythe Bridge forms part o ...

.Davies & Robinson, 2003, page 43. In 1795–97, David Harris replaced it with Isis Lock, a broad lock to allow Thames barges in and out of the Oxford Canal Company's

Worcester Street Worcester Street is a street in west central Oxford, England. History The street used to be called Stockwelle Street, also running along the line of Walton Street and Little Clarendon Street, to the north of the current Worcester Street. The ...

wharves. Isis Lock was rebuilt as a narrow lock in 1844.

Gallery

File:Oxford Canal approaching Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 872819.jpg, The Oxford Canal, approaching Isis Lock with

narrowboat A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commerc ...

s moored by the canal. File:Isis Lock, Oxford - geograph.org.uk - 320212.jpg, View of Isis Lock and the footbridge. File:Oxford - Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 1328171.jpg, Isis Lock, looking towards the river. The raised bricks facilitate the opening of the lock gate in wet weather. File:Oxford - Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 1328212.jpg, Isis Lock Looking over the lock gate and under the bridge, towards the southern part of the Oxford Canal. File:Oxford - Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 1328149.jpg, Isis Lock and the footbridge. File:Oxford - Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 1328200.jpg, Looking over the lock gate. File:Winding hole , Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 872816.jpg,

Winding hole A winding hole () is a widened area of a canal (usually in the United Kingdom), used for turning a canal boat such as a narrowboat. In sea ports an area for turning ships is usually called a turning basin. Etymology The word is commonly believed ...

at Isis Lock. File:Footbridge by Isis Lock - geograph.org.uk - 872810.jpg, Footbridge by Isis Lock.

References

Sources

*{{cite book , title= A Towpath Walk in Oxford , last1= Davies , first1=Mark , last2=Robinson , first2=Catherine , location= Oxford , publisher= Oxford Towpath Press , orig-year= 2001 , year= 2003 , isbn= 0-9535593-1-9 1797 establishments in England Transport infrastructure completed in 1797 Transport infrastructure completed in 1844 Locks of Oxfordshire Buildings and structures in Oxford Transport in Oxford Oxford Canal