Abingdon Lock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abingdon Lock
Abingdon Lock in action
Waterway	River Thames
County	Oxfordshire
Maintained by	Environment Agency
Operation	Hydraulic
First built	1790
Latest built	1905
Length	120’0” (36.57m)
Width	18’ 9” (5.71m)
Fall	6’ 2” (1.89m)
Above Sea Level	167'
Distance to Teddington Lock	85 miles

Abingdon Lock
legend River Thames weir weir Sandford Lock and mill Lock Wood Island Nuneham Railway Bridge weir weir Swift Ditch Abingdon Lock & weir River Thames

Abingdon Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England, less than 1 mile east from Abingdon, Oxfordshire on the opposite bank of the river. It was originally built in 1790 by the Thames Navigation Commission.

The navigation route here has been subject to change. The Swift Ditch further to the east was the original course of the river. The stream to the town was developed by the monks of Abingdon Abbey and the weir is reputed to have been built by them during the 10th Century. A lock was built on the Swift Ditch by the Oxford-Burcot Commission in 1635. Subsequently navigation was diverted into Abingdon and the pound lock built here. Andersey Island is the large stretch of land between the Swift Ditch and the main river.

The weir runs across from the Abingdon side to the lock island, and has a pedestrian walkway across it.

According to a tablet above the front door, the current lock-keeper's house dates from 1928. Ice creams and refreshments have been sold from the door of the house for at least 30 years.

Contents 1 Access to the lock 2 Reach above the lock 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Access to the lock

The lock can be reached on a track heading north from Abingdon Bridge on the Andersey Island side. Alternatively it is possible to walk along the river from the town and cross the weir.

[edit] Reach above the lock

Shortly above the lock on the eastern side above Andersey Island is the entrance to the Swift Ditch Backwater. Nuneham Railway Bridge (Black Bridge) and Lock Wood Island are above this point and then the river is flanked by Nuneham Park, belonging to Nuneham House. On the western side is the town of Radley, and by the river is the Radley College boathouse.

The Thames Path, which crosses the river at the lock, follows the western bank all the way to Sandford Lock.

[edit] See also

• Locks on the River Thames
• Crossings of the River Thames

[edit] External links

• Abingdon Lock at riverthames.co.uk
• Abingdon Lock at geograph.co.uk

Next lock upstream	River Thames	Next lock downstream
Sandford Lock 4.66 miles	Abingdon Lock Grid reference: SU506971	Culham Lock 2.58 miles
Next crossing upstream	River Thames	Next crossing downstream
Nuneham Railway Bridge	Abingdon Lock	Abingdon Bridge
Next crossing upstream	Thames Path	Next crossing downstream
"southern*" bank Osney Bridge	Abingdon Lock	northern bank Clifton Hampden Bridge

• Because of the river loop, the southern bank is here on the north side of the river