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{{Short description|Lock on the River Thames in Berkshire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
{{stack begin}} {{stack begin}}
{{Infobox waterlock {{Infobox waterlock
|lock_name = Hambleden Lock
|lock_name = Hambleden Lock<ref> Part 2 p17</ref>
|image= HambleLock01.JPG |image= HambleLock01.JPG
|caption= An old tug boat leaves the lock |caption= An old tug boat leaves the lock
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|first = 1773 |first = 1773
|latest = 1994 |latest = 1994
|length = {{convert|61.00|m|ftin|abbr=on}} <ref name="EnvAgency" >{{cite web |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/recreation/135271.aspx |title=Environment Agency Dimensions of locks on the River Thames |date=8 November 2012 |work=web page |publisher=Environmental Agency |accessdate=18 November 2012}} Dimensions given in metres</ref>
|length = 198’ 3” (61.00m)
|width = {{convert|7.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="EnvAgency" />
|width = 25’ 0” (7.70m)
|fall = {{convert|1.44|m|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="EnvAgency" />
|fall = 4’ 9” (1.44m)
|sealevel = 101' |sealevel = 101'
|enda = ] |enda = ]
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{{stack end}} {{stack end}}


'''Hambleden Lock''' is a ] with a long ] situated on the ] in England. The lock is on the ] bank between Aston and ]. It was built by the ] in 1773, The lock is named after the village of ], a mile (1.5&nbsp;km) to the north. '''Hambleden Lock''' is a ] with a long ] situated on the ] in England, about 2 miles downstream of ]. The lock is on the ] bank between Aston and ]. Built by the ] in 1773, the lock is named after the village of ], a mile (1.5&nbsp;km) to the north.


The great weir is impressive and there are walkways over it from the lock to the small village of ] on the ] bank. Here is situated the picturesque ], and the site of a ] is nearby. The great weir is impressive and there are walkways over it from the lock to the small village of ] on the ] bank. Here is situated the picturesque ], and the site of a ] is nearby.


==History== ==History==
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became keeper. This eccentric, who baked bread for bargemen, ate a dish of onion porridge every night, wore a long coat with many buttons and walked daily to Hambleden marking a cross on the ground where he reached, was in post at the lock for 59 years and was succeeded by his son. became keeper. This eccentric, who baked bread for bargemen, ate a dish of onion porridge every night, wore a long coat with many buttons and walked daily to Hambleden marking a cross on the ground where he reached, was in post at the lock for 59 years and was succeeded by his son.
] ]
There is reference to continuing use of the flash lock and winch at the weir until the middle of the nineteenth century. The channel downstream of the lock which takes navigation clear of the weir and weir pool was excavated in 1825. The lock was completely rebuilt in 1870 after years of complaint about its condition. In 1884 the new weirs were built and after public complaints the walkway was built to reopen the ancient right of way.<ref>Fred. S. Thacker ''The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs'' 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles</ref> The lock was rebuilt in 1994. There is reference to continuing use of the flash lock and winch at the weir until the middle of the nineteenth century. The channel downstream of the lock which takes navigation clear of the weir and weir pool was excavated in 1825.<ref name="Thacker" />

In June 1829, the lock was the starting point for the ] between Oxford and Cambridge universities. The course ended {{convert|2.25|mile|km|adj=on}} upstream at ].<ref>{{Cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uJ8CAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA33 | title = The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races: From A.D. 1829 to 1869| first = William Fisher | last = MacMichael | publisher = Deighton |page=34| date = 1870}}</ref> An estimated 20,000 spectators watched Oxford win the race.<ref name="mchron">{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000082/18290613/019/0004 |title=Grand Rowing Match between the Oxonians and Cantabs |work=] |page=4 |date=13 June 1829 |access-date=6 April 2015 |via=] |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="mpost">{{cite news |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18290615/014/0003 |title=The Grand Rowing Match at Henley |work=] |page=3 |date=15 June 1829 |access-date=6 April 2015 |via=] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The lock was completely rebuilt in 1870 after years of complaint about its condition. In 1884 the new weirs were built and after public complaints the walkway was built to reopen the ancient right of way.<ref name="Thacker">Fred. S. Thacker ''The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs'' 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles</ref> The lock was rebuilt in 1994.


==Access to the lock== ==Access to the lock==
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] ]
] ]
The river curves round to the south, passing, on the Buckinghamshire bank, ], a large country house built in the nineteenth century which is now the home of the ]. After the turn is ], which is the start of the ] course. The regatta is rowed upstream over a wide straight course of 1 mile, 550 yards (2,112 m). On the Berkshire bank are open fields, lawns and Remenham Farm, part of the village of ]. The regatta lawns continue up to ], while the town of ] stretches along the Oxfordshire bank. The river curves round to the south, passing, on the Buckinghamshire bank, ], a large country house built in the nineteenth century which is now the home of the ]. After the turn is ], which is the start of the ] course. The regatta is rowed upstream over a wide straight course of 1 mile, 550 yards (2,112 m). On the Berkshire bank are open fields, lawns and Remenham Farm, part of the village of ]. The regatta lawns continue up to ], while the town of ] stretches along the Oxfordshire bank.


After ] is the Henley river front with boat hire and a landing stage for riverboat cruises. After a small wooded island is the larger ], and ] provides public open space on the Henley side of the river. The ] is situated here. On the Berkshire bank the land rises steeply with a wooded escarpment hanging over ]. The annual ] is also held on the reach, stretching between just upstream of Hambleden village and just short of the next lock upstream from Hambleden, ].
After ] is the Henley river front with boat hire and a landing stage for riverboat cruises. After a small wooded island is the larger ], and ] provides public open space on the Henley side of the river. The ] is situated here. On the Berkshire bank the land rises steeply with a wooded escarpment hanging over ].


===Sports clubs on the reach=== ===Sports clubs on the reach===
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The ] stays on the Berkshire bank to Henley Bridge, and is here in better condition for the benefit of the rowing coaches who cycle along it. It crosses Henley Bridge and continues on the Oxfordshire bank to Marsh Lock. The ] stays on the Berkshire bank to Henley Bridge, and is here in better condition for the benefit of the rowing coaches who cycle along it. It crosses Henley Bridge and continues on the Oxfordshire bank to Marsh Lock.


==Kayak & Canoe use== ==Kayak and canoe use==
] ]
] ]
Since the 1940s ] and ] have used the weir structure for recreation. Since the 1940s ] and ] have used the weir structure for recreation.
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==Literature and the media== ==Literature and the media==
In ]'s 1889 humorous novel, '']''. The narrator and his two friends ask the lock-keeper at Hambleden Lock for some drinking water to replenish their boat's supply, and are nonplussed when he suggests they drink water from the river, as he habitually did.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jerome |first1=Jerome K |title=Three Men in a Boat |chapter=13|date=1889 |publisher=Arrowsmith |location=London|quote=We found ourselves short of water at Hambledon Lock; so we took our jar and went up to the lock-keeper’s house to beg for some}}</ref>


] wrote of ''"the rather uninteresting river residence of my newsagent - a quiet unassuming old gentleman, who may be met with about these regions, during the summer months, sculling himself along in easy vigorous style, or chatting genially to some old lock-keeper, as he passes through"''. The newsagent in question was ] whose residence was Greenlands. In the book, Jerome also mentions the nearby Greenlands, describing it as ''"the rather uninteresting river residence of my newsagent - a quiet unassuming old gentleman, who may be met with about these regions, during the summer months, sculling himself along in easy vigorous style, or chatting genially to some old lock-keeper, as he passes through"''. The newsagent in question was ].


Caleb Gould's gravestone at ] has the elegy Caleb Gould's gravestone at ] has the elegy

⚫ :''This world’s a jest,
<blockquote>
:''And all things show it;
⚫ This world’s a jest,<br />
⚫ :''I thought so once,
:''And now I know it. And all things show it;<br />
⚫ I thought so once,<br />
And now I know it.
</blockquote>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portal|UK Waterways}} {{Portal|United Kingdom|Transport}}


* ] * ]
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==External links== ==External links==
* *
{{River item box|table=start

|upstream=]<br/> {{convert|4.59|km|abbr=on}} <ref name="EnvAgency2" >{{cite web |url= http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/recreation/131811.aspx |title=Environment Agency Distances between locks on the River Thames |date=19 November 2012 |work=web page |publisher=Environmental Agency |accessdate=21 November 2012}} Distances given in km</ref>
{{Start box}}
|downstream=]<br/> {{convert|5.89|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="EnvAgency2" />|location=SU782852
{{River lock start|River=]}}
}}{{River item box|type=crossing|table=end
{{River lock line|upstream=]<br/> 2.85 miles|downstream=]<br/> 3.66 miles|location=SU782852}}
|upstream=]
{{River bridge start|River=]}}
{{River item line|upstream=]|downstream=]}} |downstream=]
}}
{{End box}}

{{Coord|51.56027|N|0.87333|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SU782852)|display=title}}<!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref --> {{Coord|51.56027|N|0.87333|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SU782852)|display=title}}<!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref -->


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] ]
] ]
]

Latest revision as of 11:19, 13 July 2024

Lock on the River Thames in Berkshire, England

Hambleden Lock
An old tug boat leaves the lock
WaterwayRiver Thames
CountyBerkshire
Maintained byEnvironment Agency
OperationHydraulic
First built1773
Latest built1994
Length61.00 m (200 ft 2 in)
Width7.70 m (25 ft 3 in)
Fall1.44 m (4 ft 9 in)
Above sea level101'
Distance to
Teddington Lock		43 miles
Power is available out of hours
Hambleden Lock
Legend
River Thames
Marsh Lock and weir
Site of mill
Rod Eyot
A4130 Henley Bridge
Henley Reach
Regatta Course
Temple Island
Hambleden Lock
weir
Site of mill
moorings
River Thames

Hambleden Lock is a lock with a long weir situated on the River Thames in England, about 2 miles downstream of Henley Bridge. The lock is on the Berkshire bank between Aston and Remenham. Built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773, the lock is named after the village of Hambleden, a mile (1.5 km) to the north.

The great weir is impressive and there are walkways over it from the lock to the small village of Mill End on the Buckinghamshire bank. Here is situated the picturesque Hambleden Mill, and the site of a Roman villa is nearby.

History

The mill at Hambleden is mentioned in Domesday Book, which implies there was also a weir here then. There is reference to the weir, with a winch (for pulling boats through the flash lock) in 1338. The pound lock was the fourth downstream in the series of locks built after the 1770 navigation act. The others were built of fir which had to be replaced by oak after a dozen years. In 1777 a small brick house was built and Caleb Gould became keeper. This eccentric, who baked bread for bargemen, ate a dish of onion porridge every night, wore a long coat with many buttons and walked daily to Hambleden marking a cross on the ground where he reached, was in post at the lock for 59 years and was succeeded by his son.

Weir, mill and walkway at Hambleden

There is reference to continuing use of the flash lock and winch at the weir until the middle of the nineteenth century. The channel downstream of the lock which takes navigation clear of the weir and weir pool was excavated in 1825.

In June 1829, the lock was the starting point for the first boat race between Oxford and Cambridge universities. The course ended 2.25-mile (3.62 km) upstream at Henley Bridge. An estimated 20,000 spectators watched Oxford win the race.

The lock was completely rebuilt in 1870 after years of complaint about its condition. In 1884 the new weirs were built and after public complaints the walkway was built to reopen the ancient right of way. The lock was rebuilt in 1994.

Access to the lock

The lock can be reached from the village of Aston on the same side, after a short walk; access to the track leading to the lock is immediately to the west of the Flower Pot pub. From the opposite side the walkways across the weirs provide easy access from Mill End.

Reach above the lock

View downstream towards Temple Island
Looking upstream from Henley Bridge

The river curves round to the south, passing, on the Buckinghamshire bank, Greenlands, a large country house built in the nineteenth century which is now the home of the Henley Management College. After the turn is Temple Island, which is the start of the Henley Royal Regatta course. The regatta is rowed upstream over a wide straight course of 1 mile, 550 yards (2,112 m). On the Berkshire bank are open fields, lawns and Remenham Farm, part of the village of Remenham. The regatta lawns continue up to Henley Bridge, while the town of Henley on Thames stretches along the Oxfordshire bank.

The annual Henley Festival is also held on the reach, stretching between just upstream of Hambleden village and just short of the next lock upstream from Hambleden, Marsh Lock.

After Henley Bridge is the Henley river front with boat hire and a landing stage for riverboat cruises. After a small wooded island is the larger Rod Eyot, and Mill Meadows provides public open space on the Henley side of the river. The River and Rowing Museum is situated here. On the Berkshire bank the land rises steeply with a wooded escarpment hanging over Marsh Lock.

Sports clubs on the reach

Thames Path

The Thames Path stays on the Berkshire bank to Henley Bridge, and is here in better condition for the benefit of the rowing coaches who cycle along it. It crosses Henley Bridge and continues on the Oxfordshire bank to Marsh Lock.

Kayak and canoe use

Looking upstream from the lock

Since the 1940s kayakers and canoeists have used the weir structure for recreation.

In each of the four sluices a concrete ramp of about 16 deg has been fixed to the weir apron, on top of these a hinged steel plate is fixed. The hinged steel plate is adjustable between the 16 deg of the base concrete ramp and approx 28 deg. The adjustment of the steel plate is currently by pneumatic bellows installed between the plate and the concrete base.

Literature and the media

In Jerome K. Jerome's 1889 humorous novel, Three Men in a Boat. The narrator and his two friends ask the lock-keeper at Hambleden Lock for some drinking water to replenish their boat's supply, and are nonplussed when he suggests they drink water from the river, as he habitually did.

In the book, Jerome also mentions the nearby Greenlands, describing it as "the rather uninteresting river residence of my newsagent - a quiet unassuming old gentleman, who may be met with about these regions, during the summer months, sculling himself along in easy vigorous style, or chatting genially to some old lock-keeper, as he passes through". The newsagent in question was W H Smith.

Caleb Gould's gravestone at Remenham has the elegy

This world’s a jest,
And all things show it;
I thought so once,
And now I know it.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Environment Agency Dimensions of locks on the River Thames". web page. Environmental Agency. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012. Dimensions given in metres
  2. ^ Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles
  3. MacMichael, William Fisher (1870). The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races: From A.D. 1829 to 1869. Deighton. p. 34.
  4. "Grand Rowing Match between the Oxonians and Cantabs". The Morning Chronicle. 13 June 1829. p. 4. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. "The Grand Rowing Match at Henley". The Morning Post. 15 June 1829. p. 3. Retrieved 6 April 2015 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. Jerome, Jerome K (1889). "13". Three Men in a Boat. London: Arrowsmith. We found ourselves short of water at Hambledon Lock; so we took our jar and went up to the lock-keeper's house to beg for some

External links

Next lock upstream River Thames Next lock downstream
Marsh Lock
4.59 km (2.85 mi) 		Hambleden Lock
Grid reference SU782852		 Hurley Lock
5.89 km (3.66 mi)
Next crossing upstream River Thames Next crossing downstream
Henley Bridge Hambleden Lock Temple Footbridge

51°33′37″N 0°52′24″W / 51.56027°N 0.87333°W / 51.56027; -0.87333

  1. ^ "Environment Agency Distances between locks on the River Thames". web page. Environmental Agency. 19 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012. Distances given in km
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