Isis Lock (known to boatmen as "Louse Lock") is a

lock Lock(s) or Locked 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 entertainme ...

connecting the

Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrowboat canal in southern 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 th ...

and the Castle Mill Stream, 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, s ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Location

The Isis Lock is close to Sheepwash Channel, just to the south and linking with the River Thames to the west. To the west of the lock are Rewley Road, 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. To the east over the Oxford Canal are the grounds of

Worcester College Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college 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 was ad ...

, one of the colleges of

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. 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 (water transport), 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 ...

at Hythe Bridge.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 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 Barge, canal boat, built to fit the narrow History of the British canal system, locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, b ...

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