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Shepperton Lock
Shepperton lock (2005)
Waterway	River Thames
County	Surrey
Maintained by	Environment Agency
First built	1813
Latest built	1899
Length	174' 5" (53.16m)
Width	19' 10" (6.04m)
Fall	6' 8" (2.03m)
Above sea level	33'
Distance to Teddington Lock	10 miles

Shepperton Lock is a lock on the River Thames, in England adjoining the northern bank near Shepperton, Surrey (formerly Middlesex). It is across the river from Weybridge but not directly accessible from there.

In 1813, the City of London Corporation built a wooden pound lock here on a cut through to create Lock Island. A stone lock was built in 1899, next to the existing wooden one which was then filled in and removed. There are two weirs, one between Lock Island and Hamhaugh Island and the other larger one between Hamhaugh Island and the southern bank. A weir is recorded at Shepperton in the 1086 Domesday Book but this is unlikely to have been on the tidal Thames itself.

The Shepperton to Weybridge Ferry service runs from Ferry Lane below the lock to the end of Thames Street, Weybridge, where there are two rowing clubs and a canoeing club. Overlooking the lock and the islands is the Thames Court pub/restaurant.

Access to the lock

The lock is on the Middlesex bank, and can be reached from Shepperton down Ferry Lane or from the Chertsey direction via Dockett Eddy Lane leading to Towpath. There is usually ample parking space. From the Weybridge side it can only be reached by the ferry.

Reach above the lock

Immediately above the lock is Pharaoh's Island, which was a gift from the nation to Admiral Nelson following the Battle of the Nile. The Middlesex bank is quite open with several larger houses along it until Dumsey Meadow a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Surrey side is built up until parkland at Chertsey Meads, and then built up again at the edge of Chertsey itself. Chertsey Bridge crosses the river just before Chertsey Lock. On the backwater going past Chertsey Lock, which becomes the Abbey River, is the site of the Anglo-Saxon Chertsey Abbey sacked by the Vikings.

The Thames Path follows the northern (Middlesex) bank all the way to Chertsey Lock.

Literature and the Media

The lock in Charles Dickens Our Mutual Friend at Plashwater Mill is based on Shepperton lock.

In H. G. Wells The War of the Worlds one of the main battles fought against the invaders from Mars takes place between Weybridge and Shepperton lock.

See also

Locks on the River Thames

References

• The River Thames Guide — About the Thames — Shepperton Lock

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• Locks on the River Thames