Fourteen Locks facts for kids
Lock 11, February 2005. The "shelves", of unequal depth, to either side of the chamber are a unique feature, but information about their purpose is now lost.
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| Waterway | Crumlin Arm (Monmouthshire canal) |
|---|---|
| Operation | Manual |
| First built | 1799 |
| Length | 64 feet 9 inches (19.7 m) |
| Width | 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m) |
| Fall | 160 feet (49 m) |
| Partially restored | |
The Fourteen Locks are a special set of locks on the Monmouthshire Canal in Newport, South Wales. They are also known as the Cefn Flight. These locks were finished in 1799.
They help boats climb a big hill, raising the water level by 160 feet (50 meters). This happens over a short distance of only 800 yards (740 meters). This makes it one of the steepest and most important sets of locks in the UK.
The Fourteen Locks are a "flight of locks." This means each lock has its own set of gates. They are not like a "lock staircase" where gates are shared between locks. The area also has ponds and other features to control the water.
History of the Canal
The idea for the Monmouthshire Canal began in June 1792. An Act of Parliament (a special law) allowed it to be built. The canal had a main section from Newport to Pontnewynydd. It also had a branch that went from Malpas to Crumlin.
Both parts of the canal needed many locks. The main section used 41 locks to rise 435 feet (133 meters). The Crumlin branch used 32 locks to rise 358 feet (109 meters). The Fourteen Locks were the biggest group on the Crumlin Branch.
Thomas Dadford, Jr. was the engineer for this big project. He was also working on other canals at the same time. The canal opened in stages. By February 1796, most of the main section was open.
The last part of the Crumlin Branch, including the Fourteen Locks, was finished in April 1799. Dadford worked on the canal until 1798. The Rogerstone Locks, as they were called, were one of his greatest achievements.
Because the locks were so close together, there wasn't much space for water between them. Dadford solved this by adding side ponds. These ponds helped keep the water levels steady.
The canal was not connected to other canals in Britain. This meant Dadford could choose the size of the locks. Boats were first built to be 62 feet 6 inches (19.05 meters) long and 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 meters) wide. Soon, boats were made a bit bigger. They could be 64 feet 9 inches (19.74 meters) long and 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 meters) wide. These larger boats could carry 25 to 28 tons of goods.
The Monmouthshire Canal was part of a larger transport system. This system included many tramways (tracks for horse-drawn wagons). Over time, these tramways were updated for trains. By 1865, the canal was not used much for transport.
In 1880, the canal became part of the Great Western Railway company. They closed a small part of the Crumlin branch in 1909. The rest of the branch was officially closed in 1949. By 1950, the locks were not working, and the canal was full of weeds.
Restoring the Locks
People started working to restore the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal in 1961. But attention didn't turn to the Monmouthshire Canal until 1965. This was when the Inland Waterways Association formed a group in South Wales.
This group began to campaign to protect the canal's remains. Two years later, the Newport (Monmouthshire) Canal Society was formed. They pushed for the canal's restoration. In 1968, local anglers (people who fish) also formed a preservation society.
The first volunteer work party on the Crumlin Branch happened in March 1969. The first big repair work on the locks began in early 2003. Cefn Lock was fixed, which allowed a trip-boat to run on that small section.
For a long time, only the top lock had water. The area above Lock 21 (the Top Lock) sometimes had problems with its water supply. This made it hard for volunteers to run boat trips.
On March 23, 2007, a big grant of £700,000 was given. This money came from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was given to help restore the next four locks at the top of the flight. Work on locks 20, 19, 18, and 17 started in 2010 and finished in 2011.
Visiting the Locks
The Fourteen Locks Canal and Conference Centre is located next to the canal. It is below the top lock. The centre has interesting exhibits about the canal's history.
You can also see changing displays of local art there. The centre has a meeting room and a tea room where you can get refreshments. They also offer guided walks along the canal. In its first three years, the centre welcomed 150,000 visitors!
