Watford Locks (grid reference SP592688) is a group of seven locks on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, close to the village of Watford in Northamptonshire, England, famous for the Watford Gap service area. The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Watford is a village and Civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire in England. Northamptonshire (or archaically the County of Northampton; abbreviated Northants England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This article is about Watford Gap and village For the larger town 80 km (50 miles south see Watford, Hertfordshire.
The locks are formed (looking from the south), of two single locks, a staircase of four, and a final single lock. Together they lift the canal 16m (52ft 6in) to the "Leicester Summit", which it maintains all the way to Foxton Locks. Foxton Locks ( are ten Canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west
The locks were built to carry narrowboats, and the system was opened in 1814. A narrowboat or narrow boat is a Boat of a distinctive design made to fit the narrow Canals of England and Wales. In the early 20th century there were plans to build an inclined plane similar to that at Foxton as part of a scheme to allow the passage of barges, but the plan was abandoned when the inclined plane at Foxton proved uneconomic. An inclined plane is a system used on some Canals for raising boats between different water levels Foxton Locks ( are ten Canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west BARGE, the Big August RecGambling Excursion is a yearly convention held in Las Vegas during the first weekend of August
When the Grand Union Canal was formed in 1929, there were further proposals to widen the flight as part of the modernisation going on elsewhere on the Grand Union's network, but these plans did not develop further. The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The locks are hemmed in by the Roman Watling Street (now the A5 road), the M1 motorway, and the West Coast Main Line railway, which all fit through the narrow gap in the hills. The M1 is a major south – north Motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where The West Coast Main Line (WCML is a busy mixed-traffic railway route in the United Kingdom.
The locks are usually manned during the summer to prevent water shortages in the ponds between the locks. The keeper also ensures the locks run smoothly and quickly. It should take approximately 45 minutes to complete this flight; it is made quicker by the fact that the locks are single beam and the gates are light.
Access
Access from the A5 Watling Street is difficult and not suitable for wheelchairs or prams. Watling Street is the name given to an Ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern
Going northbound, park on the hard standing outside the very large Caravan sales-shop (this is public land) between the two turnings signposted for Watford (as in Watford Gap). This article is about Watford Gap and village For the larger town 80 km (50 miles south see Watford, Hertfordshire. Walk across the frontage to the signpost for the Jurassic Way footpath, cross over a stile and the locks are less than 50 metres. The Jurassic Way is a designated and signed Long-distance footpath that connects the Oxfordshire town of Banbury with the Lincolnshire town
See also
- Bingley Five Rise Locks in West Yorkshire
- Bingley Three Rise Locks in West Yorkshire
- Foxton Locks near Market Harborough, Leicestershire
- Caen Hill Locks near Devizes, Wiltshire
- Fourteen Locks near Newport, South Wales
- Tardebigge Locks near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire
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