In King's Norton Stop Lock, Birmingham

Image: © Roger D Kidd Taken: 8 Sep 2008

This unusual Guillotine Lock raise and lowers the water by nothing at all! This view was taken from beneath the arch of Bridge No 1 on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal. The bridge crosses the middle of the lock. It is noticeable that the bridge is far wider than it needs to be. When the canal was planned and started in the mid 1790s the intention was for a wide canal supporting wider than the standard seven foot beam narrowboats. They soon ran out of money building the first few (lockless) miles with wide bridges, and by the time the first stage to Kingswood Junction (with the Warwick and Birmingham Canal - now Grand Union) was open in 1803, the whole idea of a wide canal had been abandoned. All the locks to Stratford (eventually reached by 1815) are narrow. Therefore, this lock at King's Norton, was put in place after the decision not to accommodate wide boats was taken. For more lock details see: Image] Image]

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