Chalmore Lock was 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 ...

and

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

which operated between 1838 and 1883 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, s ...

in England near

Wallingford, Oxfordshire Wallingford () is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in South Oxfordshire, England, north of Reading, south of Oxford and north west of Henley-on-Thames. Although belonging to the historic county of Berkshire, it ...

History

Chalmore Lock was built in 1838 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners at a place called Chalmore Hole between Cleeve Lock and Benson Lock. It was built as a summer or low-water lock. For much of the time the lock was open at both ends and the fall was only 18 inches when the water level reached its lowest in summer. It was described at the time of construction as "a weir and two pairs of gates similar to pound gates to pass boats when the weir is shut in". Its usefulness was demonstrated shortly after its construction, when a barge stranded upstream in the shallows was set in motion within five minutes of closing the gates. The lock was provided with a lock keeper and tolls were exacted for its use. However it fell into disrepair, and the

Thames Conservancy The Thames Conservancy (formally the Conservators of the River Thames) was a body responsible for the management of River Thames, that river in England. It was founded in 1857 to replace the jurisdiction of the City of London up to Staines-upon-T ...

was anxious to remove it. Nevertheless, from 1874 onwards, the inhabitants of Wallingford campaigned strongly to keep the lock fearing consequences to the town of its removal. In 1881 Thames Conservancy dredged the river below Wallingford Bridge at "enormous cost" and in the winter floating ice swept away much of the weir. In 1883 the lock was finally removed.

Literature and the media

Chalmore Lock gives rise to an anecdote in ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous novel by English writer Jerome K. Jerome describing ...

'' by Jerome K. Jerome. In it the author recollects an experience of rowing a young lady downstream from Benson Lock expecting to reach "Wallingford Lock" in a short time. Unaware that the map is out of date and that the lock has been removed he and she experience increasing alarm as they continue on the six-mile stretch in the darkening evening to end at Cleeve Lock. William Staniland included "The lay of Chalmore Lock" among his ''Songs after Sunset'' in 1884. William Staniland ''Songs after Sunset''
/ref>

References

External links

Ferry House, Chalmore Hole, Wallingford
{{coord, 51, 35, 42.5, N, 1, 07, 16.5, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=inline,title Locks of Oxfordshire Locks on the River Thames Weirs on the River Thames Former structures on the River Thames

History

Literature and the media

See also

References

External links