Whitchurch Lock

Whitchurch Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England. It is a pound lock, built by the Thames Navigation Commissioners in 1787. It is on an island near the Oxfordshire village of Whitchurch-on-Thames and is inaccessible except by boat.

The weir crosses the river to the Berkshire village of Pangbourne .

History

There was a flash lock recorded at Whitchurch in the 16th century. The sketch map shows the main dam, which was solid and rose to a height above normal high water level. Near the southern bank, there was a sluice (marked "E" on the sketch), which was 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, and was fitted with flood gates and overfall boards, to accommodate a drop of 3 to 4 feet (0.91 to 1.22 m) in the river level. The flash lock was in the centre, with a winch on the north bank to haul the barges through against the current. It was 23 feet (7.0 m) wide, which was the standard size for all flash locks below Abingdon. Near to the island was a "tumbling bay", an overfall weir with its crest just below normal low water level. It was about 35 feet (11 m) wide and is marked "H" on the sketch. In common with most of the weirs on the Thames, the width of the tumbling bay was gradually increased, until it formed most of the weir, apart from the sluice.