In November, the public got a chance to see our team in action as we replaced a pair of lock gates on the Regent’s Canal in Islington; it’s just one tiny part of our extensive winter works programme.
The City Road Lock on the Regent’s Canal in Islington, North London
Each winter, between November and March, when fewer boats are cruising our waterways, we carry out a raft of major maintenance and preservation projects up and down the country. This year’s winter works programme is already well underway, with our regional teams tackling 137 separate projects at more than 100 locks, 14 bridges, two tunnels, and a host of embankments, sluices, culverts, and canal walls.
With over 1,500 locks across England and Wales, a big part of our winter programme is devoted to lock gate replacement, with a number of large-scale projects made possible thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Visitors at City Road Lock in Islington got a bird’s-eye view of our lock replacement works
One such project was completed at City Road Lock on the Regent’s Canal in Islington at the end of last year. Situated near Angel tube station, a stone’s throw from the Islington Tunnel, it’s an extremely busy part of the network, and the towpath sees a lot of foot traffic.
During the three-week stoppage, we set up a dedicated viewing area so passers-by could see our construction team at work. Our volunteer lock keepers were on hand to keep the public informed and answer any questions.
“People are very interested to see what’s going on,” said volunteer lock keeper Steve Francis when we popped down to the site. “We’ve got a nice viewing area, so we’ve had lots of visitors come and have a look, ask about the work and check on the progress. Some of the locals are down here virtually every day.”
Our lock gates typically last around 25 years, and the pair at City Road Lock were, as site supervisor Paul May put it, “pretty much at the end of their life.” Their end was hastened in the summer, when, unfortunately, they were struck by a narrowboat, causing significant damage to the paddles.
Despite a temporary fix, Steve and his fellow lock keepers had to take extra care guiding vessels through the lock. “The damage was so bad that at various points during the summer we had to physically pull the boats in,” he told us. “We had to literally walk the boats through the lock so they could continue their journey.”
Volunteer lock keepers Bob Welfare (left), Steve Francis (right) and site supervisor Paul May (centre)
Now, thanks to the skills and expertise of Paul and our in-house construction team, City Road Lock has a brand-new set of lock gates, ready for the start of the busy boating season in the spring.
The work at City Road Lock is just one of dozens of lock gate replacements we’ll be carrying out this winter. Each lock gate has to be individually designed and hand-crafted at one of our two specialist workshops using traditional, age-old techniques. It’s a costly, time-consuming process, but it’s essential to keeping our canals safe, open, and accessible.
With shrinking budgets, an ageing infrastructure, and a changing climate, the challenge of keeping our precious waterways alive and in good working condition for navigation has never been greater. Millions of people use our canals every week for exercise, commuting, or simply to escape the hubbub of modern life, and it’s easy to take them for granted.
But in reality, caring for our canals costs millions of pounds every year, and we can’t do it without the help of boaters, partners, volunteers, and of course, supporters like you.
