Pinkhill 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 ...

on 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 ...

in England. It is close to

Farmoor Farmoor is a village west of the centre of Oxford, England. The village was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The village is from Pinkhill Lock on the River Thames. Farmoor has ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the

Thames Navigation Commission The Thames Navigation Commission managed the River Thames in southern England from 1751 to 1866. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries History The f ...

in 1791. The weir is on the other side of the island and carries a public footbridge. The name Luck's or Lot's Hole is given to part of the weir stream.

History

The lock is named after a farm in the area and is on the site of a former weir and

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 ...

owned by Lord Harcourt who maintained rights over it. It is one of the Commission's early locks and like St John's was built by J. Nock. The lock was partially rebuilt in 1877 and a house was proposed at the same time. Previously the keeper lived at Eynsham and covered the whole stretch from Newbridge to King's Weir. A new cut was dug below the lock by 1899 when some reconstruction was carried out.Thacker, 1920/1968, page 90-93 The stone lock keeper's house dates from 1932.

Access to the lock

The lock can be reached (by authorised vehicles or on foot) from Farmoor on a track behind the reservoir.

Reach above the lock

The river winds past

Farmoor Reservoir Farmoor Reservoir is a reservoir at Farmoor, Oxfordshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) outside the city of Oxford. It is close to the east bank of the River Thames. Like most of the reservoirs in the Thames Valley, it was not formed by ...

and

Bablock Hythe Bablock Hythe is a hamlet in Oxfordshire, England, some five miles (8 km) west of Oxford city centre. There was a ferry across the River Thames at Bablock Hythe from the 13th century. The hand-propelled cable ferry was said to be the first along ...

where there used to be a ferry. This part of the river was frequented by

Matthew Arnold Matthew Arnold (24 December 1822 – 15 April 1888) was an English poet and cultural critic who worked as an inspector of schools. He was the son of Thomas Arnold, the celebrated headmaster of Rugby School, and brother to both Tom Arnold, lite ...

and his " Scholar Gipsy". The

Thames Path The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it onl ...

crosses the river over the lock head gates to the northern bank towards

Stanton Harcourt Stanton Harcourt is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about southeast of Witney and about west of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Sutton, north of the village. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 960. Arch ...

, and rejoins the river at Bablockhythe. It then continues alongside the river to

Northmoor Lock Northmoor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, on the northern bank about a mile from Northmoor. The lock was built in 1896 by the Thames Conservancy to replace a flash lock at Hart's Weir, also known as Ridge's Weir, ...

Sources

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References

External links