Southcote Lock

Southcote Lock is a lock on the River Kennet at Southcote near the town of Reading in Berkshire, England. It has a rise/fall of 5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m).[1]

Southcote Lock

Southcote Lock and Mill from the south bank
Waterway	Kennet Navigation (Kennet and Avon Canal)
Country	United Kingdom
County	Berkshire
Maintained by	Canal and River Trust
Operation	Manual
First built	1723
Latest built	c. 1970s
Fall	5 feet 3 inches (1.60 m)
Distance to River Thames	3.6 miles (5.8 km)
Distance to Bristol Harbour	90.3 miles (145.3 km)
Coordinates	51.436001°N 1.004513°W

Southcote Lock
Reading–Basingstoke line Southcote Lock Southcote Mill Southcote sluice and fish ladder Southcote Main Line moorings Southcote weir

History

Southcote Lock was built between 1718 and 1723 under the supervision of the engineer John Hore of Newbury.

During the 18th century, a wire mill was built on the south side of the canal, on an island between the canal navigation and the natural course of the Kennet.[2] This mill was supplied with bar iron from Sowley Forge in Hampshire; both sites were operated by Charles Pocock Sr., Thomas Golden and Charles Pocock Jr.[3][4]

In 1850, a pumping station was built on the north side of the canal. The station was used to pump water to the Bath Road Reservoir in Reading to cater for the town's population expansion and provided the town its first filtered water supply.[5][6][7] By 1878, maps showed that the wire mill was disused; the Pocock–Golden partnership had been dissolved over half a century earlier.[8]

In 1896, the Southcote Water Works (owned by the Reading Corporation) was superseded by the newly upgraded steam-powered station downstream at Fobney; Southcote's water wheels and pumps were mothballed.[9] Three years later, however, the Southcote works were overhauled and new filters and pipes were installed.[9]

In 1952, Southcote Lock was deemed unsafe and was subsequently closed.[10] The navigation reopened by the mid-1970s.[11]

The pumping station was in use until 1982 when Fobney was upgraded to cope with the town's demand;[12] the main pumping building was converted into a residential dwelling and the wire mill remained derelict.[13]

References

1. Pearson, Michael (2003). Kennet & Avon Middle Thames:Pearson's Canal Companion. Rugby: Central Waterways Supplies. ISBN 0-907864-97-X.
2. Warner, Richard, ed. (1795). Collections for the history of Hampshire, and the bishopric of Winchester: including the Isles of Wight, Jersey, Guernsey, and Sarke, by D.Y. With the original Domesday of the county, and an accurate tr. [&c.] by R. Warner. 6 vols. [numbered 1-5. Vol.1 is in 2 pt.]. p. 185. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
3. Notices. London: The London Gazette. 1818. p. 845.
4. Kenneth Hudson (1968). The industrial archaeology of southern England: Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, and Gloucestershire east of the Severn. A. M. Kelley. p. 108. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
5. Reading Borough Council (2008). "Historic Buildings Report" (PDF): 4. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
6. Institution of Municipal Engineers (Great Britain) (1923). Institution of Municipal Engineers Journal. 50. p. 878. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
7. Allsop, Niall (1987). The Kennet and Avon Canal. Bath: Millstream Books. ISBN 0-948975-15-6.
8. The European Magazine, and London Review. 79–80. Philological Society of London. 1821. p. 491. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
9. Institution of Water Engineers (1903). Transactions of the Institution of Water Engineers. 80. p. 403. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
10. Kenneth R. Clew (1968). The Kennet & Avon Canal: an illustrated history by Kenneth R. Clew; with 30 plates and 20 text illustrations including maps and a foreword. David & Charles. p. 153. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
11. "The restoration of the canal". Hungerford Virtual Museum. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
12. Stuart Hylton (1992). Reading Places, Reading People. Berkshire Books. p. 101. ISBN 978-0-7509-0060-7. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
13. Stuart Fisher (5 May 2009). The Canals of Britain: A Comprehensive Guide. A&C Black. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-4081-0517-7. Retrieved 30 June 2013.

See also

• Locks on the Kennet and Avon Canal