St Katherine's Dock Lock - St Katherine's Way, London, UK
N 51° 30.366 W 000° 04.340
30U E 703170 N 5710171
The lock allows pleasure craft to enter St Katherine's Dock from the River Thames. St Katherine's Dock is sometimes known as St Katherine's Yacht Haven.
Waymark Code: WMCHVY
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/10/2011
Views: 11
A plaque at the side of the lock explains the operation. It says:
"High and low tide on the Thames vary by 9 - 10 metres. / A vessel entering St Katherine Docks must first pass / through a lock which raises it from the river's level to the / level in the dock. / The water level in the lock is lowered by opening a / gravitational two way valve (b) and draining water into the / river. When the levels of the lock and river match, the outer / gate is lowered and the waiting vessel enters the lock. / The outer gate is raised and water levels between lock and / dock are equalised by drawing water through another / valve (a). Then the inner gate is lowered and the vessel / enters the dock. The procedure is reversed to allow vessels to leave."
A series of diagrams illustrate the above.
These days it is just pleasure craft that use the dock. The days of freighters is long gone.
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The entry to this harbour is via a lock that can be accessed about two hours before high water, to 1.5 hours after high water. (Watch the cross set in the approach). The lock is large, at around 30' x 100'. It operates between 6 AM and 8:30 PM in the summer and between 8 AM and 6 PM in winter. It leads into the central basin, and there are two further basins which are accessed underneath small lifting bridges. Visitors are normally berthed in the central basin.
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