Richmond Lock and Footbridge
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Richmond Lock and Footbridge is a lock and pedestrian bridge, situated on the River Thames in southwest London, England. It is the furthest downstream of all the Thames locks and is the only one owned and operated by the Port of London Authority. It was opened in 1894 and is situated close to the centre of Richmond upon Thames in the southwestern western suburbs of London. It connects Richmond on the south bank with the neighbouring district of St. Margarets on the north bank during the day, but is now closed at night to pedestrians - after 19:30 GMT or after 21:30 when BST is in use.
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[edit] Description
Technically, Richmond Lock is a half-tide lock and barrage, which also incorporates a public footbrige. The footbridge crosses both the conventional lock and the barrage, which comprises three vertical steel sluice gates suspended from the footbridge structure. These gates weigh 32 tons each and are 66 feet in width and 12 foot in depth. The lock permits passage of vessels to a maximum dimension of 250 feet long by 26 feet 8 inches wide.
For about two hours each side of high tide, the sluice gates which make up the barrage are raised into the footbridge structure above, and ships and boats pass through the barrage unimpeded. For the rest of the tidal cycle the sluice gates are closed, and ships and boats must make use of the lock alongside the barrage. This has the effect of maintaining the water level between Richmond Lock and Teddington Lock (the next lock upstream) at or above half-tide level. The maximum fall of the lock is 10 feet.
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| Next crossing upstream | River Thames | Next crossing downstream |
| Twickenham Bridge | Richmond Lock and Footbridge Grid reference: TQ170751 |
Kew Bridge |
| Next lock upstream | River Thames | Next lock downstream |
| Teddington Lock | Richmond Lock and Footbridge Grid reference: TQ170751 |
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