Caen Hill Locks

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The flight of 16 locks at Caen Hill on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Caen Hill Locks are a flight of locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal, at Devizes, Wiltshire England.

The main flight of 16 locks forms part of a longer series of 29 locks. The total rise is 237 feet in just 2 miles (72 m in 3.2 km) or a 1 in 30 gradient, making Caen Hill the steepest flight of locks in the world. The locks come in three groups: seven at Foxhangers, sixteen at Caen Hill and six at the town end of the flight. Whilst the locks were under construction in the early 1800s a tramroad provided a link between Foxhangers, at the bottom of the flight, and Devizes at the top, the remains of which can be seen in the towpath arches in the road bridges over the canal. Because a large volume of water is needed for the locks to operate a back pump was installed at Foxhangers in 1996, capable of returning 32 million litres of water per day to the top of the flight which is equivalent to one lockful every eleven minutes.^[1]

Part of the Devizes flight prior to restoration

They were engineer John Rennie's solution to climbing the very steep hill, and were the last part of the 87 mile route of the canal to be completed. Because of the steepness of the terrain there was not the space to use the normal arrangement of water pounds between the locks. As a result, the 16 locks utilise unusually large side ponds to store the water needed to operate.^[2]

In the early 19th century, 1829-43, the flight was lit by gas lights.^[3]

The locks take 5-6 hours to travel in a boat and lock 41 is the narrowest on the canal.^[4]

The locks in 1985 during restoration

After the coming of the railways, the canal fell into disuse, and closed. From the 1960s there was a major clearing and rebuilding operation, culminating in a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 to officially open the new locks and the flight (although the flight had been navigable for a number of years before then).

[edit] References

^ Pearson, Michael (2003). Kennet & Avon Middle Thames:Pearson's Canal Companion. Rugby: Central Waterways Supplies. ISBN 090786497X.
^ Caen Hill Locks. Waterscape.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
^ Caen Hill Locks. Kennet and Avon Scrapbook. Retrieved on 2006-09-18.
^ Allsop, Niall (1987). The Kennet & Avon Canal. Bath: Millstream Book. ISBN 0948975156.

[edit] See also

Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal

Next lock upstream	Kennet and Avon Canal	Next lock downstream
Seend Locks	Caen Hill Locks Grid reference: ST978614	Wootton Rivers Bottom Lock