Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, with a passing place between. Located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough they are named after the nearby village of Foxton.
Staircase locks are used where a canal needs to climb a steep hill, and consist of a group of locks where each lock opens directly into the next, that is, where the bottom gates of one lock form the top gates of the next. Foxton Locks are the largest flight of such staircase locks on the English canal system.
Alongside the locks is the site of the Foxton Inclined Plane, built in 1900 as a solution to various operational restrictions imposed by the lock flight. The inclined plane was not a commercial success and remained in full-time operation for only ten years. It was dismantled in 1926, but a project to re-create the Plane commenced in the 2000s, since the locks continue to be a bottleneck for boat traffic.
Originaly built for horse drawn Commercial Narrow boats carrying coal and manufactured goods accross the country the canals are now mainly used by leasure craft and floating holiday homes
Britains canals are also an ever more important asset for wild life, breathing new life into the environment
1 comment:
Adam says, "It reminds me of the locks that we saw which were miniature size at that place we went with you."
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