Grantham Canal Society Lock 13 refurbishment

The refurbishment of Lock 13 of the Grantham Canal builds on the rebuilding and repair work carried out on Locks 14 and 15 over the last four years.

The Grantham Canal Society General Manager Tony Osbond  tells—It will, when completed, be the sixth lock brought back into use in the Woolsthorpe flight of seven locks.

Bring back to life

The construction work is being carried out by our volunteer labour force who devote their time and energy to bring back to life the working of a canal that was originally completed in 1797.

The Grantham Canal is 33 miles long and runs from the Trent to Grantham and, in its time, transported goods (including coal) into the villages in the Vale of Belvoir, culminating at its ultimate destination in Grantham.

We have over five miles of navigable waterway from Lock 14 at Stenwith/Woolsthorpe all the way to the A1 at Grantham. Getting under the A1 will be another target, as is getting a connection to the Trent, which will open the waterway to canal boat navigation from the river.

A lot of work

It will be a lot of work to achieve this aim, particularly with bridges to be reinstated and silt to be removed, but we have a vision that one day it will be achieved!

We are currently restoring Lock 13, (Image by cortesy of Grnatham Canal Society) which will entail civil engineering work and water management, as well as looking after the ecology and bio-diversity. Overall cost will be in the region of £250k phased over two years.

The two locks we have completed have given our volunteers skills in building and civil engineering work that they never thought they would achieve. At the present time we are in the early stages of refurbishment but will be into expenditure with the introduction of a propping system to support the walls when working in the Lock Chamber (£25k), an Anchor System to tie back the wall structure (£28k), and overall repairs to the masonry (£75K), before the Lock Gates are introduced towards the end of the project (£95K).

Once this project is complete, it will only leave Lock 12 at Stenwith to be completed, which will then open up the canal at a level height all the way to Cropwell Bishop at Lock 11 some 20 miles away through the Vale of Belvoir.

If you would like to support the project, you can donate, volunteer or become a member on our website: granthamcanal.org