- Shifford Lock
Infobox Waterlock
lock_name = Shifford 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"] ]
caption=
waterway =River Thames
county =Oxfordshire
maint =Environment Agency
operation = Manual
first = 1898
latest =
length = 113’ 8” (34.64m)
width = 15’ 1” (4.59m)
fall = 7’ 4” (2.23m)
sealevel = 210'
enda =Teddington Lock
distenda = 110 miles
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extra=Shifford Lock is a lock on the
River Thames in England. It is in the centre of a triangle formed by the small villages of Shifford, Duxford and Chimney inOxfordshire . It is at the start of a navigation cut built with the lock by theThames Conservancy in 1898. It replaced aflash lock in a weir about 3/4 mile downstream.There is a small weir beside the lock and a larger weir on the old course of the river upstream at the top of the lock cut.
History
The original flash lock was in a weir close to the entrance to Great Brook. This was removed between 1829 and 1853, and there were later complaints about the lack of draught in the river. Discussion of the possibility of the new lock only began in 1896 and two years later it was open. The lock cut was based on a pre-existing side channel which was considerably widened. There were moves to have it called Chimney Lock, but the name Shifford Lock was adopted. [Fred. S. Thacker "The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs" 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles]
Access to the lock
The lock can be reached on foot from Chimney about a mile away.
Reach above the lock
The cut is about a mile long, and halfway along is the
Shifford Cut Footbridge . The cut rejoins the old course of the river and continues past Chimney. Further along the reach there is another wooden footbridge,Tenfoot Bridge and after that isTadpole Bridge .The
Thames Path starts on the south bank of the cut, crosses over on Shifford Cut Footbridge and then continues on the north bank beyond the cut to Rushey Lock.See also
*
Locks on the River Thames External links
* [http://www2.mihalis.net/canal/cgi-bin/gazette.cgi?where=$v1ru Shifford Lock] Gazetteer entry at mihailis.net
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/436078 Picture of Shifford Lock] at geograph.org.ukReferences
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