Shifford 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. It is in the centre of a triangle formed by the small villages of Shifford

Shifford

Shifford is a hamlet in the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney in Oxfordshire, England. It is on the north bank of the River Thames about south of Witney.-History:...

, Duxford

Duxford, Oxfordshire

Duxford is a hamlet in the civil parish of Hinton Waldrist northeast of Faringdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire...

 and Chimney

Chimney, Oxfordshire

Chimney is a hamlet on the River Thames near Shifford Lock, south of Witney in Oxfordshire. It is part of the civil parish of Aston, Cote, Shifford and Chimney....

 in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

. It is at the start of a navigation cut built with the lock by the Thames Conservancy

Thames Conservancy

The Thames Conservancy was a historical body responsible for the management of the River Thames in England. It was founded in 1857, initially replacing the jurisdiction of the City of London up to Staines and later taking responsibility for the whole river from Cricklade in Wiltshire to the sea at...

 in 1898. It replaced a flash lock

Flash lock

Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times....

 in a weir about 3/4 mile downstream.

There is a small weir beside the lock and a larger weir on the old course of the river upstream at the top of the lock cut.

History

The original flash lock was in a weir close to the entrance to Great Brook. This was removed between 1829 and 1853, and there were later complaints about the lack of draught in the river. Discussion of the possibility of the new lock only began in 1896 and two years later it was open. The lock cut was based on a pre-existing side channel which was considerably widened. There were moves to have it called Chimney Lock, but the name Shifford Lock was adopted.

Reach above the lock

The cut is about a mile long, and halfway along is the Shifford Cut Footbridge. The cut rejoins the old course of the river and continues past Chimney. Further along the reach there is another wooden footbridge, Tenfoot Bridge

Tenfoot Bridge

Tenfoot Bridge is a wooden footbridge across the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is situated on the reach above Shifford Lock and was built in 1869. It connects Buckland on the south bank to Chimney on the north....

 and after that is Tadpole Bridge

Tadpole Bridge

Tadpole Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England, carrying a road between Bampton to the north and Buckland to the south. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Shifford Lock....

.

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....

starts on the south bank of the cut, crosses over on Shifford Cut Footbridge and then continues on the north bank beyond the cut to Rushey Lock.

External links

• Shifford Lock Gazetteer entry at mihailis.net
• Picture of Shifford Lock at geograph.org.uk