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Shelley Close, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST7 3UB

On the Trent & Mersey Canal in Thurlwood.

Trent and Mersey Canal - lock 54 in distance behind bridge

Showing the canal immediately above lock 54.

The so called Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill) north-west of Hardings Wood were built in the mid 1770s as single structures. Around 1830 an attempt was made to speed up traffic by pairing nearly all the locks, including here, where both are still in operation. The lock on the right is the newer one. During the late 20th century, many locks became unusable, some being filled in, while others fell into dereliction. Since then, a lot of restoration has been carried out; this work is still ongoing.

The so called Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill) north-west of Hardings Wood were built in the mid 1770s as single structures. Around 1830 an attempt was made to speed up traffic by pairing nearly all the locks, including here, where both are still in operation. The lock on the right is the newer one. During the late 20th century, many locks became unusable, some being filled in, while others fell into dereliction. Since then, a lot of restoration has been carried out; this work is still ongoing.

The so called Cheshire Locks (Heartbreak Hill) north-west of Hardings Wood were built in the mid 1770s as single structures. Around 1830 an attempt was made to speed up traffic by pairing nearly all the locks, including here, where both are still in operation. The lock shown is the newer one. During the late 20th century, many locks became unusable, some being filled in, while others fell into dereliction. Since then, a lot of restoration has been carried out; this work is still ongoing.

The locks on the stretch of the Trent and Mersey canal between Kidsgrove and Wheelock were dualled to ease congestion in the 1830s after the success of the canal and the new Harecastle tunnel brought huge congestion. In my view the paired locks are among the finest canal architecture in the country, and it is a great disappointment that many of duplicates are now out of use - quite apart from the congestion caused where they single-down as at Thurlwood Upper, No. 53. This is a poignant image as this is the first time I have visited this canal without a boat and my senior assistant has only ever had one canal trip. He's still looking for a boat to appear, though, because that's what they do when you wait at the bottom of a lock, ready to hop on.

The functional, elegant simplicity of the gates on the narrow lock contrasts with modern brick and satellite dish. The house on the left of the image is much older, but the modern house uses the same coloured motifs and materials. The high-contrast black and white of the painted woodwork is a perfect backdrop for my high-contrast, black and white Geograph assistants.