Bray Lock

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Bray Lock
Bray Lock, Berkshire
Waterway	River Thames
County	Berkshire
Maintained by	Environment Agency
Operation	Hydraulic
First built	1845
Latest built	1888
Length	134' 4" (40.94m)
Width	17' 11" (5.46m)
Fall	4' 9" (1.46m)
Above Sea Level	69'
Distance to Teddington Lock	29 miles

Bray Lock

legend River Thames Fleet River A4094 road bridge weir Hedsor Wharf weir bridges Cookham Lock Formosa Island Strand Water White Brook Maidenhead Ditch Mill Race Kayaking Boulter's Lock old mill Jubilee River -- -- (to Old Windsor Lock) Ray Mill Road West Grass Eyot Bridge Eyot Flood Relief Channel A4 Bath Road Bridge Street York Road Reading - Paddington Railway Forlease Road York Stream Headpile Eyot Bray Lock and weir Bray Mill Proposed new lock M4 Motorway The Cut Bray marina River Thames

Bray Lock is a lock and weir on the River Thames in England on the northern bank near Dorney and just above the M4 Bridge across the Thames. The lock is on the opposite side of the river from Bray itself and Maidenhead, Berkshire, but these can be reached from the lock. The pound lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission relatively late in 1845, boats being previously towed between the islands. The lock keepers cottage is on an island (Parting Eyot) between the lock and the weir. Bray Lock was once by-passed by York Stream which went on the other side of Bray to Maidenhead.

The weir is almost parallel to the lock on the other side of the lock island. There was a mill recorded here in Domesday book, and presumably a weir.

[edit] Reach above the lock

Immediately above the lock is Headpile Eyot. Further along the reach is Brunel's famous Maidenhead Railway Bridge, with a spectacular echo underneath it. The Maidenhead bank is lined with large Edwardian houses up to Maidenhead Bridge beside which is the Skindles Hotel once a notorious rendez-vous for illicit coupling. Above the bridge are the islands of Bridge Eyot and Grass Eyot before Boulter's Lock with Taplow on the Buckinghamshire side. Maidenhead regatta takes place from the railway bridge in August, and there is the Maidenhead Junior regatta in May.

The Thames Path follows the Bucks (Eastern) bank to Maidenhead Bridge, which it crosses, and then proceeds on the Berkshire side to Boulter's Lock.

[edit] See also

• Locks on the River Thames
• Rowing on the River Thames

[edit] External links

• Official Thames site
• Another site about Thames

Next lock upstream	River Thames	Next lock downstream
Boulter's Lock 2.13 miles	Bray Lock Grid reference: SU909797	Boveney Lock 3.17 miles

Coordinates: 51.50893° N 0.69159° W