- Godstow Lock
Infobox Waterlock
lock_name = Godstow Lock [ [http://www.visitthames.co.uk/uploads/a_users_guide_to_the_River_thames.pdf Statistics from Environment Agency "A User's Guide to the River Thames:Part II"] ]
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waterway =River Thames
county =Oxfordshire
maint =Environment Agency
operation = hydraulic
first = 1790
latest = 1924
length = 110’ 0” (33.52m)
width = 16’ 3” (4.95m)
fall = 5’ 2” (1.57m)
sealevel = 190'
enda =Teddington Lock
distenda = 96 miles
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extra=Godstow Lock is a lock on the
River Thames inOxfordshire ,England . It is near the village ofWolvercote on the outskirts ofOxford , but on the opposite side of the river. The first lock was built of stone by theThames Navigation Commission in 1790. It is the lock furthest upstream on the river which has mechanical operation.The main weir is a short way upstream but there is another weir at Godstow Bridge just above the Trout Inn. These feed into a backwater which has come from Kings Lock by Wolvercote.
History
Prior to the construction of the lock,
Godstow Bridge served as a form of lock, which remained in service for some time after the construction of Godstow Lock in 1790. After the lock was constructed there were complaints about the raising of the water levels and the effect this had on the meadows upstream at Pixey Mead. After some years of dilapidation, the lock underwent major repair in 1872. River users would often avoid the lock by navigating up the stream past Wolvecote. The lock house was built around 1896 on condition that it sold no refreshments to protect the interests ofThe Trout Inn . Previously the lock-keeper had lived on a houseboat. [Fred. S. Thacker "The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs" 1920 - republished 1968 David and Charles ] The last rebuilding of the lock occurred in 1924.Access to the lock
The lock is a short way from Godstow Bridge and can be reached on foot from there.
Reach above the lock
Beside the lock at
Godstow are the ruins of Godstow Nunnery. Above the lock, the river is crossed by Godstow Bridge and theA34 Road Bridge carrying the Oxford By-pass. Upstream of Godstow the river becomes narrower and more twisty as it passes Pixey Mead. TheThames Path continues on the western side to King's Lock.Literature and the Media
In the meadows near the lock an Oxford mathematics tutor
Charles Dodgson used to have picnics with his friend DeanHenry Liddell and his daughters Lorina, Alice and Edith. Here he made up a story which began:"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and having nothing to do..... when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her..
See also
*
Locks on the River Thames References
External links
* [http://www.riverthames.co.uk/about_thames/3740.htm Godstow Lock] at riverthames.co.uk
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/27736 Picture of Godstow Lock] at geograph.org.uk
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