A team of volunteers from the Grantham Canal Society has been working with us to help restore a section of the Grantham Canal. The volunteers are now getting ready to pour more than 100 tonnes of concrete to create new foundations for lock 15.
The lock, which was designed and built by renowned canal engineer William Jessop over two centuries ago, is being completely rebuilt after falling into near dereliction.
It's all part of a project, which has been awarded a £830,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), to bring locks 14 and 15 near Stenwith back into use.
An authentic lock
Since early 2015, the volunteers have been painstakingly taking the lock apart, piece by piece, after the lock walls moved and crumbled allowing the whole structure to lean inwards. The volunteers have been carefully cleaning and storing the bricks so that they can be reused later in the project.
The GCS volunteers are now getting ready to pump concrete into the foundations, which will make the lock structure much stronger, before facing the walls in traditional bricks to ensure an authentic look.
Karen Rice, project manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: “This is a real milestone in the efforts to restore this historic lock and will help to ensure that the lock stands proudly for another 200 years.
“The GCS volunteers have done a magnificent job, carefully dismantling the lock so that we can begin the important job of rebuilding it. Once the foundations are in place then the focus will be on rebuilding the walls and we're really keen to hear from local bricklayers who would like to get involved and give some of their time.
“It's a great opportunity to follow in the footsteps of William Jessop and the fruits of your labour will be on show for centuries to come.”
Five-year project
The five-year project is being led by volunteers and will see the two locks brought back into working use for the first time in around 80 years. It will also involve training volunteers in valuable conservation skills and laying the groundwork for the restoration of a further two locks (numbered 12 and 13).
The project has also received support from WREN, Donald Forrester Trust, the family of Alan Applewhite, and Michael Worth on behalf of the Waynflete Charitable Trust. Local firm Newark Concrete is supplying the ready-mix concrete after being approached by staff at Tarmac's Barnstone Works.
For more details on how to get involved in the restoration contact [email protected].
