Next lock for the Wey & Arun Canal

Published: Wednesday, 17 March 2010

THE Wey & Arun Canal Trust is now turning its attention to the next major extension to the navigable section centred on Loxwood, on the West Sussex/Surrey border.

With Devils Hole Lock virtually complete and ready for its formal reopening on 17th April, the Trust is launching an appeal for reconstruction of the next lock North—Southland.

Restoration of Southland Lock is, in effect, a complete rebuild. The only visible remains are the iron quoins (hinge posts) for the bottom gates, and because a badger sett is located at the foot of the original lock, it is planned to build a replacement lock about 10m away from the badger sett.

Religious community

Southland Lock was originally built of bricks, rather than the local stone used for the locks further South. The bricks were recycled in the 1930's, reportedly by the Cokelers, a Loxwood-based religious community, who sold the bricks to a Cranleigh builders' merchant. The plans are to use bricks for the new lock chamber, probably the locally-produced Weinerberger red multi stock, as used successfully by the Trust for the Loxwood road crossing project.

The bricks will face walls of reinforced concrete blocks, resulting in a much stronger and more stable structure than the original. The brick ‘training' walls will continue south to the original lock site, to provide protection for the banks without undue disturbance to the badgers and other wildlife.

Long lasting

Gates will be of Ekki, a long lasting environmentally friendly tropical hardwood from sustainable sources. The same material will be used to provide a bridge giving access across the canal for the badgers.

As with all of the restored and rebuilt locks currently in use, an electric pump, with the associated power supply, will be installed, to return water to the pound above the lock.

Longer and wider

The detailed plans for the lock, bridges and surrounding landscape have still to be drawn up, and will be produced in full consultation with interested parties, including the riparian owners and the Sussex Badger Group. The dimensions, slightly longer and wider than the original, will comply with Association of Inland Navigation Authorities guidelines.

Even using mainly volunteer labour, the cost is estimated at around £300,000, which will be met by the Trust's own fundraising activities.