Shepperton Lock

The Shepperton Lock

The Shepperton Lock is a lock in the Thames . It is on the north side of the river across from Weybridge , but cannot be reached directly from there. The place Shepperton is a bit further down the river on the north side near the old main shipping route.

The City of London Corporation built the lock in 1813, creating Lock Island . There are two weirs . One runs from Lock Island to Hamhaugh Island and the other larger between Hamhaugh Island and the southern shore. The Shepperton – Weybridge ferry service runs from Ferry Lane below the lock to Thames Street in Weybridge.

history

A weir at Shepperton is recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086 , but it is believed not to be in the main arm of the Thames. There is also evidence from 1293 of a dam with a toll for passing ships at Shepperton. The landscape has probably changed, so that this was probably not where the lock is today. The lock was established in 1813 by a small watercourse known as Stoner's Gut . The watercourse was considered a hindrance to shipping and was not used. Boats usually went to Weybridge or into Wey Navigation . Reports from the late 18th century mention flooding in the area of Stoner's Gut. It is believed that there was a small church that stood on stilts over the watercourse that was washed away. The watercourse was laid in a canal in 1805 and there were initial proposals to build a lock. After initially strong resistance, the proposal was put forward again in 1809 and a wooden lock was built. In 1899 a stone lock was built next to the existing one. The wooden lock was then dismantled and filled.

The river above the lock

Immediately after the lock is Pharaoh's Island . The Chertsey Bridge crosses the river just before the Chertsey Lock is reached. The tributary of the Abbey River flows into the Thames here. The Thames Path runs to Chertsey Lock on the north bank.

Mention in the literature

The lock at the Plashwater Mill in Charles Dickens Our mutual friend is based on the Shepperton Lock.
In HG Wells The War of the Worlds , one of the main battles takes place between Weybridge and the Shepperton Lock.

Web links

Commons : Shepperton Lock - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Fred S. Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II: Locks and Weirs. 1920 - 1968 reissued , David & Charles, Newton Abbot, ISBN 0-7153-4233-9 .

51.382113 -0.458622Coordinates: 51 ° 22 ′ 55.6 ″ N , 0 ° 27 ′ 31 ″ W.

[1] Fred S. Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II: Locks and Weirs. 1920 - 1968 reissued , David & Charles, Newton Abbot, ISBN 0-7153-4233-9 .