Old Windsor Lock is a lock

Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...

 on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in England close to Old Windsor

Old Windsor

Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the English county of Berkshire.-Location:...

 on the side of the river towards the town. The lock marks the start of the New Cut, built in 1822 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners, which created Ham Island

Ham Island

Ham Island, is an island in the River Thames in England. It was created when the course of the river was diverted, via a cut, to avoid a weir and provide a navigable route through to Old Windsor Lock....

 in the hook of the old river. The lock connects to Ham Island and there is a footbridge across the lock cut.

There is a small weir beside the lock, but the main weir is some way upstream at the top end of Ham Island.

History

The old name for the site of the lock was "Top of Caps" and the first suggestion for a lock at "Capps" was in 1770. However it was not until 1822 that the lock cut and lock were built. No weir was built at the time, although there was already an obstruction called "Newman's Bucks" at the islands that are now at the top of the lock cut. Of these islands, only that called Lion Island

Lion Island (Old Windsor)

Lion Island is a small uninhabited island in the River Thames in England on the reach above Old Windsor Lock, near Old Windsor, Berkshire. The island is a thin wooded strip separated by a narrow channel on the north bank...

 remains. The first lock keeper was dismissed after various demeanors which included digging through the bank of the lock cut and thereby causing the collapse of the new lock cut bridge. The weir was constructed in 1836. In 1868 there was discussion of removing the lock, but instead it was extended with a tumbling bay added. In 1871 the lock cut bridge was rebuilt with the right reserved to lay sewage pipes across it. The lock was rebuilt in 1957.

Access to the lock

The lock is only accessible by foot and can be reached from the end of a long spur road leading to The Manor and The Priory from Old Windsor.

Reach above the lock

The Cut is about half a mile long and is crossed by Ham Bridge going to Ham Island. Lion Island is at the top of the cut where the streams separate. Then Albert Bridge

Albert Bridge, Datchet

Albert Bridge is a road bridge in England running North/South between Datchet and Old Windsor. It crosses the River Thames on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock...

 crosses the river and on the Windsor

Windsor, Berkshire

Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....

 side, the river winds round farmland at Princes Consort farm and Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...

 Home Park. On the opposite side is the town of Datchet

Datchet

Datchet is an English Thameside village and civil parish situated in the unitary authority of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire. It was transferred to Berkshire from Buckinghamshire in 1974....

  with Sumptermead Ait

Sumptermead Ait

Sumptermead Ait is an island in the River Thames in England on the reach above Old Windsor Lock, near Datchet Berkshire. The island is a thin wooded strip separated by a narrow channel on the Datchet side...

 along the side of the river. There follows Victoria Bridge

Victoria Bridge, Datchet

Victoria Bridge is a road bridge running North/South between Datchet and Windsor, Berkshire, England. It crosses the River Thames on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock...

 and then a golf course, followed by Black Potts Railway Bridge

Black Potts Railway Bridge

Black Potts Railway Bridge carries the railway from London to Windsor, Berkshire across the River Thames. The Staines to Windsor & Eton Line terminates immediately after the bridge at Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station...

. The railway bridge is supported by Black Potts Ait

Black Potts Ait

Black Potts Ait is an island in the River Thames in England near Windsor, Berkshire. It is on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock and carries Black Potts Railway Bridge...

, behind which the Jubilee River

Jubilee River

The Jubilee River is a hydraulic channel in southern England. It is 11.6 km in length and is on average 45 metres wide. It was constructed in the late 1990s and early 2000s to take overflow from the River Thames and so alleviate flooding to areas in and around the towns of Maidenhead,...

 rejoins the Thames. There are then the playing fields of Eton College

Eton College

Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....

. The area known as Black Potts up to Romney Island

Romney Island

Romney Island is an island in the River Thames in England connected to Romney Lock, at Windsor, Berkshire. It is a long thin island with trees and scrub, with the upstream end in Windsor and the downstream end almost at Black Potts....

 has been a popular fishing area, with Isaak Walton and Charles II

Charles II of England

Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

 both recorded as fishing there.

Thames Path

The Thames Path

Thames Path

The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about long....

 should continue on the towpath

Towpath

A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...

 on the Windsor side, but this has been closed off and walkers are forced to cross Albert Bridge, take the metalled road through Datchet and Sumptermead Ait and return over Victoria Bridge.

See also

• Locks on the River Thames
  Locks on the River Thames
  The English River Thames is navigable from Cricklade or Lechlade to the sea, and this part of the river falls 71 metres . There are 45 locks on the river, each with one or more adjacent weirs...