During the winter months, several of the canal locks around the country are refurbished, and this year some of them will also have some open-days to let people have a look around while the water is (presumably) drained away.
In the London area, just the one Lock is participating – as I presume probably just the one is having any work done on it – and that is the Hanwell Locks complex near Ealing in West London. (google map)
As someone who walks along the canal over at the Eastern end of London quite a bit, I am quite interested in getting more insight into how the locks work, and the maintenance they require.
The works around Lock 93 and 94 will see lock gates replaced and one of the side ponds adjacent to the canal dredged and repaired. There will also be repairs to the canal wall and steps leading down to the water from lock 94.
Led by British Waterways’ construction project manager and our heritage advisor, these tours will offer participants a unique insight into the work we do on the canal, its history and the plans for its future development.
Send an email to book your place.
Tours are available on the hour from 11am to 4pm – you can probably specify a time if really necessary, but I just said anything will suit with a preference for a morning tour to cut down on wasting time trying to request a specific time.
There are also other locks open during the winter around the UK – the full list is here.