Wansford Lock No 3 On Driffield Canal - Wansford, UK - Waterway Locks, Planes and Lifts on Waymarking.com

The lock is on an unnavigable section of the navigation.

The Driffield Navigation Trust are trying to restore the canal for leisure boats to use. A nearby plaque tells us that this lock was restored between October 2008 and July 2009 and was officially opened (although not yet for use) on 4th July 2009 by The Mayor of Driffield, Mr Steve Poessi.

An information board next to the lock has the following information.

The Driffield Navigation for broad boats and keels carrying 60 to 70 tons was opened to traffic in 1772. The boats from Hull carried coal, linseed or other seeds to the Driffield oil mills and returned with oil cake, corn and flour to Hull. There was a regular service along the canal. thomas Randall's business had several boats to work on the canal. Queen and Princess were two of the last. The canal ran from Driffield to Struncheon Hill with locks at Within Hill, Wansford and Snakeholme. At Struncheon Hill the canal joins the River Hull.

"The Driffield Navigation is an 11-mile (18-kilometre) waterway, through the heart of the Holderness Plain to the market town of Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The northern section of it is a canal, and the southern section is part of the River Hull. Construction was authorised in 1767, and it was fully open in 1770. Early use of the navigation was hampered by a small bridge at Hull Bridge, which was maintained by Beverley Corporation. After protracted negotiation, it was finally replaced in 1804, and a new lock was built to improve water levels at the same time. One curious feature of the new works were that they were managed quite separately for many years, with the original navigation called the Old Navigation, and the new works called the New Navigation. They were not fully amalgamated until 1888.

The navigation gradually became more profitable, and although railways arrived at Driffield in 1846, the navigation continued to prosper and increase its traffic until the 1870s, after which there was a gradual decline. It continued to make a small profit until the 1930s, and the last commercial traffic was in 1951. Following proposals to use it as a water supply channel in 1959, the Driffield Navigation Amenities Association was formed in 1968, with the aim of restoring the waterway to a navigable condition. One problem was that there was no longer a legal body responsible for the assets, and so the Driffield Navigation Trust was formed, which took over the role of the original commissioners. Since that time, most of the navigation has been returned to a navigable condition, although there are still some obstacles to its full use, caused by bridges which have been lowered or built since the 1950s." link

Waterway Name: Driffield Navigation Connected Points: Connects the market town of Driffield with the River Hull. Type: Lock Date Opened: 01/01/1770 Date Closed (if applicable): 01/01/1951 Elevation Difference (meters): .00 Site Status: Inactive Web Site: [Web Link]

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