Canal trust gets waterwheel site from EA

THE Wey & Arun Canal Trust has acquired a waterwheel site from the Environmental Agency.

It now has the picturesque Lordings Lock and Lordings Aqueduct site, including the waterwheel on the canal near Wisborough Green, that makes an ideal stopping point for visitors, with tables provided by the Trust for picnics, as well as an information board detailing the site’s renovation history.

Only one of its kind

Lordings Lock and Lordings Aqueduct and the waterwheel have undergone extensive renovation over past decades. The waterwheel is thought to be the only one of its kind in the country, and when in full working order is capable of lifting water from the river level into the canal, about 9ft above.

The renovation of the waterwheel has been an especially difficult task given there are no original drawings to call on. In September 2011 a small boat rally marked the official recommissioning of
the wheel.

However, work to keep it in operation is ongoing, and the Trust hopes to see it in its full glory once more.