Remains of tide gate at Four Gates Bridge, 1990

Image: © Robin Webster Taken: Unknown

The navigation of the River Roding was extended above Barking to Ilford in 1764 or shortly after. Apart from dredging and some widening (and possibly raising the level of the nearby bridge a little), this was the principal navigation work. It consisted of a pair of tide gates allowing passage when the rising tide gave sufficient depth (and not too restricted headroom under the bridge), and shutting on falling tides to preserve a head for the nearby mill. Here the gates have been removed. The construction is similar to that used on the Essex/Suffolk Stour, with a cross beam over the gates, no balance beams, and primitive hook and eye hinging. One of the gates, cast aside on the bank, is visible. The foreground winch probably was used to open the gates. It is broken, lacking a pinion. I can't remember if there was definite evidence of a winch on the other side. It is hard to make out what the structure on the other side is, but part of it looks similar to the frame of the near winch. It may be that the winch opened both gates via a block mounted there. Why the nearby bridge is called Four Gates Bridge is a puzzle, as there is no evidence there ever were more than the two navigation gates here. There is another bridge, Six Gates Bridge, over a parallel strand of the river further along the road. This appears to be because there were once six sluices side by side here. Perhaps Four Gates Bridge is a throwback to days before the navigation when possibly there were four more sluices here.

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