Bath Locks facts for kids
Bath Locks are a cool series of six canal locks located right at the beginning of the Kennet and Avon Canal in Bath, England. These locks help boats travel up and down the canal, connecting it to the River Avon.
Contents
What are Canal Locks?
Imagine a staircase for boats! That's basically what a canal lock is. It's a special chamber with gates at both ends. When a boat wants to go up, water fills the chamber, lifting the boat. When it wants to go down, water is let out, lowering the boat. This system allows boats to move between different water levels.
The Locks of Bath
The Bath Locks start with Bath Bottom Lock, which is called Lock No. 7 on the canal. This is where the canal meets the River Avon, close to the famous Pulteney Bridge. Next to this lock, there's a special pond and a pumping station. This station works like a big pump, sending water back up the locks. This makes sure there's always enough water for boats to use the locks.
The Deep Lock
The next part is called Bath Deep Lock, and it's numbered 8/9. This is because two older locks were joined together into one big, deep lock when the canal was fixed up in 1976. A road was built over where the lower lock used to be. This new, combined lock is super deep, about 5.92 meters (nearly 20 feet)! This makes it the second deepest canal lock in Britain.
Just above the Deep Lock, there's a pool of water that helps the lock refill quickly. After that, you'll find Wash House Lock (No. 10). Soon after, there's Abbey View Lock (No. 11), which is a historic building. You'll also see another pumping station nearby. Then come Pulteney Lock (No. 12) and Bath Top Lock (No. 13).
Bridges and Tunnels
Once you pass the top lock, the canal goes through Sydney Gardens. Here, boats travel through two tunnels and under two old cast iron footbridges. These bridges were built way back in 1800! One of the tunnels, Cleveland Tunnel, is about 52.7 meters (173 feet) long. It runs right under Cleveland House, which used to be the main office for the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. Many of the bridges over the canal are also historic buildings.
Restoring the Locks
The Bath Locks were brought back to life in 1968. This amazing project was a team effort! People from British Waterways worked together with volunteers from the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. Their hard work helped make sure these important locks could be used again for boats and visitors.
