The charity, which cares for the historic site, is welcoming boats selling a wide variety of goods including sweets, fabric, beers and ciders, art and photography as well as coffee and hot food.
The floating market
The market will take place on Saturday 6 July and Sunday 7 July and is the first in a series of events taking place this summer, which marks 210 years since the first narrowboat used the famous flight of locks. As well as enjoying some retail therapy visitors will also be able to follow a fun family trail around the site.
Digging for the locks, the longest, steepest staircase of locks in Britain, started in 1810 and it took four years until they were completed, allowing the first narrowboats to pass through in August 1814. Today the locks are still a hive of activity, used by around 5,000 boats and welcoming 400,000 towpath visitors each year.
To celebrate the milestone the site will be hosting a number of events and activities throughout the summer months. We're also launching a special drawing competition, encouraging artists aged between five and 17 to capture their own perspective of Foxton Locks.
Celebrating a milestone
Jannette Warrener, our destination & attractions manager, said: “It promises to be a really exciting summer at Foxton Lock as we celebrate this milestone in the long and colourful history of the site, and what better way to kick things off than with a floating market?
“Caring for the centuries-old locks requires a year-round effort and events like this are an opportunity for people to have a great day out and find out how the Trust and our volunteers are working to protect the site for future generations.”
Thanks to our work and our volunteers, Foxton Locks holds a Green Flag Award. It sits in 34 acres of natural green space making the site the ideal place to go nature spotting. As well as the locks, visitors can also enjoy pubs, cafés, a museum and the historic remains of a unique Inclined Boat Lift, which is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Additional information
The floating market is free to enter, although parking fees apply (currently payment is coins or Pay By Phone). The closest car park to the market is long stay (LE16 7RY).
The drawing competition is split into two categories: children aged between five and 11 years and young people aged between 12 and 17 years. Entrants will be encouraged to submit a drawing of Foxton Locks with the pictures that best capture a day out at the site in each age group receiving a prize. The competition will run from Saturday 6 July until Saturday 31 August, with judging taking place on Monday 2 September 2024.
