Foxton Locks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton.
Staircase locks are used where a canal needs to climb a steep hill, and consist of groups of locks which open directly into each other. Foxton Locks are the largest flight of such staircase locks on the English canal system.
The locks are a popular tourist attraction and the county council has created a country park at the top. At the bottom, where the junction with the arm to Market Harborough is located, there are two public houses, a shop, trip boat and other facilities. The area is thus ideal for gongoozlers.
Contents |
[edit] Foxton Inclined Plane
In 1900 an inclined plane was built to the side of the locks. The aim was partly to speed up the passage of boats, but also as part of an effort to allow the passage of wide-beam barges instead of just narrowboats.
It was designed by Gordon Cale Thomas and had 2 tanks or caissons, each capable of holding 2 narrowboats or a barge. The caissons were full of water, and so balanced each other. The lift was powered by a 25 horsepower (19 kW) stationary engine.
The inclined plane had a journey time of 12 minutes for 2 boats up and 2 down and improved the speed of passage up the hill tremendously. Unlike the locks, where water flowed downhill every time a boat passed through, on the inclined plane almost the same amount of water went up and down the hill. Only the displaced water is moved, thus saving a great deal of water and giving better control of this vital resource.
There was a plan to build a similar inclined plane at the Watford Locks at the other end of the canal's summit level. However, this was never carried through, and as the Watford Locks were never widened, the economic benefits of the plane were never fully realised. Thus, despite its obvious effectiveness, the Foxton Inclined Plane was mothballed in 1911 to save money.
[edit] The plane today
Although most of the ironwork was removed for scrap in 1928, the remains of the plane can still be seen, and the site explored by visitors (to a limited extent).
In the building alongside the locks, the former boiler house for the plane's steam engine, there is a small museum covering the history of the locks and the plane, and other aspects of the local canal.
[edit] Restoration
The site of the Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift has been recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This recognition, together with the steady increase in leisure boating on British canals, means its restoration is now considered a key project in the development of the national waterway network.
The cost of full restoration has been estimated at £9 million (2006 figures), and is to be tackled in a series of stages.
Stage 1 of the project — the clearing of the site and restoration of the canal arms above and below the plane — is already underway. A grant for £1.7 million has been received from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards the £2.8 million cost of this first stage.
Fund raising is currently underway to raise the money for a full engineering study to determine the best way of recreating a working boat lift at Foxton.
[edit] Reference
- Uhlemann, H-J., (2002), Canal Lifts and Inclines of the World, Internat Limited, ISBN 0 95431 811 0
