Tuel Lane Lock facts for kids
The bottom set of lock gates
|
|
| Waterway | Rochdale Canal |
|---|---|
| County | West Yorkshire |
| Maintained by | Canal & River Trust |
| First built | 1996 |
| Length | 72 feet (22 m) |
| Width | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
| Fall | 19 feet 8 inches (6 m) |
Tuel Lane Lock is a special type of canal lock. It is found on the Rochdale Canal in Sowerby Bridge, England. This lock was built in 1996. It was part of a big project to bring the canal back to life.
Tuel Lane Lock replaced two older locks, numbers 3 and 4. These were part of the canal's first design. This lock is very deep. It has a "fall" of about 6 meters (19 feet, 8.5 inches). This makes it the deepest lock in the whole United Kingdom.
Contents
How Tuel Lane Lock Was Built
The Rochdale Canal first opened in 1804. It was one of the first canals to cross the Pennine mountains. For many years, it was very busy and successful. But after the First World War, fewer boats used it.
By 1937, no boats were using the canal at all. Most of it was closed down by a special law in 1952. Some parts of the canal in Sowerby Bridge were even filled in. This happened to make space for wider roads.
Bringing the Canal Back to Life
In 1965, there were plans to close the last part of the canal. But a group called the Inland Waterways Association fought against it. People became interested in fixing up the canal again. This led to the Rochdale Canal Society starting in 1974. This group really wanted to see the canal open once more.
Money was given to help fix the canal in 1975. But there were still problems. In 1979, a new motorway was planned to cross the canal. Then, in 1980, a supermarket was planned right on the canal's path. Both of these plans were stopped by people who wanted to save the canal.
Work continued, and by 1990, the eastern part of the canal was open. This ran from Sowerby Bridge up to Longlees. However, it was still separate from other canals. It needed a connection to the Calder and Hebble Navigation.
Building the Deepest Lock
In 1991, a report looked at the costs and benefits of finishing the canal. It found that special grants could help pay for it. A grant of £2.5 million was given. This money helped build the final missing link.
At first, the plans for the new lock were for it to be only 17.5 meters (57.5 feet) long. But all other locks on the canal were 22 meters (72 feet) long. So, the plans were changed to make space for a standard-length lock.
Tuel Lane Lock was built to the west of where the old locks 3 and 4 used to be. It replaced both of them. A tunnel was also built under the main A58 road. The very first boat went through the new lock on April 11, 1996. This connected the Rochdale Canal to the Calder and Hebble Navigation. The lock was officially opened on May 3, 1996.
How Tuel Lane Lock Works
Because Tuel Lane Lock is so deep, boat crews are not allowed to operate it themselves. A special lock keeper controls how boats go through. The lock is right next to the 104-meter (114-yard) Tuel Lane Tunnel.
Boat crews are told to wait outside the tunnel. They should only enter when the lock is ready for them. This is because the water inside the tunnel can get very rough when the lock is emptying.
Before Tuel Lane Lock opened, the deepest lock in Britain was Bath Deep Lock. This lock is on the Kennet and Avon Canal. It is called lock 8/9 because it also replaced two older locks. It has a fall of about 5.9 meters (19 feet, 5 inches).
