Haddlesey Flood Lock On Selby Canal - West Haddlessey, UK - Waterway Locks, Planes and Lifts on Waymarking.com

"The Selby Canal is a 6-mile (9.7 km) canal with 2 locks which bypasses the lower reaches of the River Aire in Yorkshire, England, from the village of West Haddlesey to the town of Selby where it joins the River Ouse. It opened in 1778, and provided the main outlet for the Aire and Calder Navigation until 1826, when it was bypassed by a new cut from Ferrybridge to Goole. Selby steadily declined after that, although traffic to York still used the canal.

Lengthening of the locks on the main Aire and Calder lines to take compartment boats was completed by 1873, and the locks on the Selby line were rebuilt between 1885 and 1886. This work included Dole Bank Lock and Beal Lock, on the old course of the Aire, as well as Haddlesey Flood Lock and Selby Lock. The locks were made 78.5 by 16.5 feet (23.9 by 5.0 m), and the navigable depth was increased to 6 feet (1.8 m). The Aire and Calder remained highly successful, although little is heard of the Selby Canal after 1900.

Before 1985, the River Ouse between Goole and above York was managed by the Ouse and Foss Navigation Trust, but was later transferred to British Waterways. The Selby Canal was then promoted as part of a through route to York, and by 2006, over 2000 boats were using Selby Lock each year, more than double the number recorded in 1988. Today the canal is used almost entirely by leisure boats." link

The canal is normally level with the River Aire, but the River is subject to periodical flooding. The lock itself is a flood lock, in normal river levels the lock simply acts as gates. However if the level of the river rises then the lock does act as a proper lock and allows boats to be raised to the river level, or dropped to the canal level.

When the river levels are too high for safe use the gates are locked shut until the river levels drop to a safer level. Next to the top gates is a coloured indicator board. When the colour is green, the lock is safe to use, orange means the river level has risen and the lock should be used with caution and red indicates the river is too high and the lock should not be used.

Waterway Name: The Selby Canal Connected Points: The canal connects The River Ouse at Selby and the River Aire at Haddlesey. Type: Lock Date Opened: 01/01/1778 Elevation Difference (meters): 1.00 Site Status: Operational Web Site: [Web Link] Date Closed (if applicable): Not listed

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