Lock 25 On The Chesterfield Canal - Thorpe Salvin, UK
Posted by: dtrebilc
N 53° 19.683 W 001° 11.850
30U E 620041 N 5910279
This lock is known as Limehouse Lock and is on the navigable section of the Chesterfield Canal.
Waymark Code: WM10Q5X
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/09/2019
Views: 1
The Chesterfield Canal
"The canal was built to link Chesterfield, Worksop and Retford to the Trent and so gain access to more trade. Local Anston Stone was transported by the canal to the river Trent for the building of the new Houses of Parliament. During the 19th century the canal was a commercial success due to local coal. However, mining caused subsidence in the Norwood Tunnel, severing the top end of the canal.
The Chesterfield Canal runs from the river Trent at West Stockwith to Chesterfield. The Canal is 45.5 miles (73.3 km) long and has 65 locks, but only the section from West Stockwith the eastern end of Norwood Tunnel is currently navigable. This navigable section is 31.6 miles (50.9 km) long and has 46 locks.
At the isolated western end of the canal, five miles and five locks have been restored. The new Staveley Town Basin opened in 2012. There are slipways at Tapton Lock in Chesterfield and Staveley Town Basin. There is also a craning pad at the basin. This leaves nine miles to be restored. There are detailed plans for the entire stretch, prepared by the Chesterfield Canal Partnership."
link The Lock
Apart from a section of the canal near the River Trent, the locks on the Chesterfiled Canal are designed to just take the narrow boats that had maximum dimensions of 70 feet long and 7 feet wide.
Generally each lock has a single gate at the top end, and a double gate at the lower end. In front of the top gate are two ground paddles to control the flow of water into the lock. Each of the gates at the bottom end has a paddle built into it to control the water flowing out.
Originally the locks were only numbered but over time names evolved, usually reflecting local structures or place names.
An information board next to the lock has the following information about the name of the lock.
Limehouse Lock was a mystery until during restoration the archaeologists discovered the remains of a lime store on the non-towpath side. On the floor of-the small brick building there were piles of lime and the crushed remains of storage barrels. Lime was produced locally in kilns when crushed limestone was burnt. The lime could either be spread on agricultural land as a fertiliser, or mixed with water to form lime-mortar. The latter use is more likely here, and was probably used for lock maintenances
The canal and locks on this section of the canal were renovated between 1995 and 2002 and at that time the lock gates were given plates with both their name and number.
It is in the steepest section of the canal and is 1 of 23 lock chambers with a total rise of 92 feet 6 inches (28 metres).