Paddle Gear, Wolverhampton Lock No 17
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Paddle Gear, Wolverhampton Lock No 17 by Roger D Kidd as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Paddle Gear, Wolverhampton Lock No 17
Image: © Roger D Kidd Taken: 17 Feb 2008
A windlass is used on the left to wind up (or down) the gate paddles when operating the lock, just as it was in 1772 when the canal opened. However, the square box with the notice is an anti-vandal device fitted in the 1990s to prevent idiots emptying the water out of the lock, and the pound above, thus closing down the whole canal. Boat crews require a special key to release the vertical rod, thus allowing the paddle shaft to rotate.
Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
Image Location
Latitude
52.603647
Longitude
-2.13639