Pickett's Lock (No 15) 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 Lee Navigation The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea (also called the River Lee along the sections that are navigable). It flows from Hertford Castle Weir to the River Thames at Bow Creek; its first lock is Hertford Lock and its ...

in the

London Borough of Enfield The London Borough of Enfield () is a London borough in North London. It borders the London boroughs of Barnet to the west, Haringey to the south, and Waltham Forest to the southeast. To the north are the districts of Hertsmere, Welwyn Hat ...

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 ...

and is located near

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. It gives its name to the surrounding area of

Picketts Lock Pickett's Lock or Picketts Lock is an area of Edmonton, in the London Borough of Enfield. It is bordered by River Lee Navigation to the east, Pickett's Lock Lane to the south, Meridian Way A1055 to the west and the Ponders End industrial area to ...

. In common with other locks as far upstream as Ponder's End Lock it is large enough to take barges of up to 130 tons. However it has not been upgraded to power operation and so it must be manually operated. It has gate paddles but these do not have gate baffles to mitigate the rush of water into the lock.

Etymology

Picketts Lock was marked on 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 ...

map of 1877, that is 'lock associated with the ''Picot'' or ''Pickett'' family'. ''Picketts feld ''(1669) located nearby is also named from this family, who take their surname from one ''Picot de Marisco'' ('of the marsh') recorded locally in the 13th century.

History

The original lock was rebuilt following the River Lea Water Act of 1855, enabling a second Edmonton lock to be closed. In 2015, Pickett's Lock was temporarily renamed Alfie's Lock by the

Canal & 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, the ...

, in honour of local resident Alfie Saggs, the former lock keeper at the site.

Access to the lock

The lock is situated on the navigation between the

William Girling Reservoir The William Girling Reservoir is located in the London Borough of Enfield and is part of the Lee Valley Reservoir Chain that supplies London with drinking water. It is named after William Girling OBE, a chairman of the Metropolitan Water Board (M ...

to the east, Deephams Sewage Treatment Works to the west and close to the Lee Valley Leisure Complex golf course. The lock can be reached from Montagu Road, Edmonton via Pickett's Lock Lane which is part of the

Pymmes Brook Trail The Pymmes Brook Trail is located in the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey and is just under long. The brook is named after William Pymme, a local landowner. The trail goes from Hadley Green to Tottenham Hale, where the trail ...

. It can also be reached from the Lea Valley Viaduct via Lea Park Way and the River Lee's

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mode of transport w ...

which forms part of the

Lea Valley Walk The Lea Valley Walk is a long-distance path located between Leagrave, the source of the River Lea near Luton, and the Thames, at Limehouse Basin, Limehouse, east London. From its source much of the walk is rural. At Hertford the path follows t ...

and the

National Cycle Route 1 The cycle-path is located in the United Kingdom. Route Dover to Canterbury Dover , Deal , Sandwich , Canterbury Links with National Cycle Route 2, Regional route 16, and Regional route 17 in Dover. Leaves Dover passing Dover Castle. S ...

Recreation

Angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

is allowed on the River Lee Navigation upstream and downstream of the lock. Information from the River Lea Anglers Club.River Lea Anglers Club
Retrieved 2 December 2014

References

External links

Geography of the London Borough of Enfield Locks of London Locks of the Lee Navigation Edmonton, London {{London-struct-stub