Fonserannes Locks

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Open locks on 29th May 2005

Fonserannes locks

This is a major piece of infrastructure on the Canal du Midi near Béziers. It consists of eight ovoid lock chambers (characteristic of the Canal du Midi) and nine gates, which allow boats to be raised a height of 21.5 m, in a distance of 300 m.^[1]

Whilst the flight was built as an 8-rise, to allow boats to cross the River Orb on a level, rejoining the canal a little further downstream, the crossing of the Orb was long ago replaced by an aqueduct.

Boats now enter and exit the lower end of the flight through the side of chamber 7, which is maintained at its upper level, and it is operated as a 6-rise.

The 8th chamber, which locks down into the Orb is now disused.

The side exit from chamber 7 causes some confusion in describing the flight, as whilst all sources now ignore the disused 8th chamber in describing the flight, many sources still desribe it as a 7-rise, despite the fact that chamber 7 is operated at a fixed level.

Traditional buildings such as the stables, the lockkeepers house and also several horsedrawn barges still remain. These and the locks have made the Fonserannes Locks the third most popular tourist destination in Languedoc-Roussillon, after the Pont du Gard and the town of Carcassonne.^[1]

It is possible for boats too large for these locks to bypass them using the Fonserannes inclined plane.