Three Mills Lock, also known as the Prescott 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 Prescott Channel

Prescott Channel

The Prescott Channel was built in 1930–35 as part of a flood relief scheme for the River Lee Navigation in the East End of London, and was named after Sir William Prescott, the then chairman of the Lee Conservancy Board...

 on the River Lea in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. The project was led by British Waterways

British Waterways

British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...

 and the lock officially opened on 5 June 2009.

The lock cuts off this section of the Bow Back Rivers

Bow Back Rivers

The Bow Back Rivers are part of the River Lea in the London Borough of Newham, east London, England, and form a complex system of waterways. The River Lea was originally tidal as far as Hackney Wick; man-made changes to the river had changed this dramatically in the 9th century, and in 1110 a...

 from the tide, creating new opportunities for leisure boats, water taxis, trip boats and floating restaurant

Floating restaurant

A floating restaurant is a kind of vessel which is usually a type of steel barge used as a restaurant on water. For example, the Jumbo Palace at Aberdeen in Hong Kong is one such restaurant. Sometimes retired ships are given a second lease on life as floating restaurants. The former car ferry New...

s. It also helps freight traffic such as barges carrying construction materials to the sites of the 2012 Olympics and Stratford City

Stratford City

Westfield Stratford City is a shopping centre in Stratford, London, owned by the Westfield Group. The centre opened on 13 September 2011. With a total retail floor area of , it is one of the largest urban shopping centres in Europe. It is the 3rd largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom by...

.

Design

The new lock is 62 metres long, 8 metres wide and 2.4 metres deep, and is able to hold two 350-tonne barges (the present locks on the nearby Lee Navigation limit barges to about 120 tonnes). The lock structure incorporates two large rising radial gates for flood control in the Bow Back Rivers.

A site in the river, just south of this lock is the resting place of the remains of the Euston Arch

Euston Arch

The Euston Arch, built in 1837, was the original entrance to Euston station, facing onto Drummond Street, London. The Arch was demolished when the station was rebuilt in the 1960s, but much of the original stone was later located—principally used as fill in the Prescott Channel—and proposals have...

. A footbridge is incorporated into the design of the lock, and British Waterways claim there will be associated improvements to the navigation and tow path, as a part of the Olympic legacy.

Impact

The effect of building the lock, together with the Three Mills Wall River Weir

Three Mills Wall River Weir

Three Mills Wall River Weir is a weir on the River Lea, in the London Borough of Newham, near to Three Mills.The weir has been constructed across the Three Mills Wall River by British Waterways to control the levels in the Bow Back Rivers and make then navigable for barges during the Olympic Park,...

 is to lock out the tide just north of the House Mill

House Mill

The House Mill is a major Grade I listed building on the River Lea in Bromley by Bow, London. Although the Three Mills date back to the Domesday book, the present house mill was rebuilt in 1776 by Daniel Bisson. It was damaged by fire in 1802, and then rebuilt by Philip Metcalfe.It is one of only...

. This means that this section of the Bow Back Rivers

Bow Back Rivers

The Bow Back Rivers are part of the River Lea in the London Borough of Newham, east London, England, and form a complex system of waterways. The River Lea was originally tidal as far as Hackney Wick; man-made changes to the river had changed this dramatically in the 9th century, and in 1110 a...

 have ceased to be tidal. The lock has been constructed so that barges from two large building projects (the London 2012 Olympics and Stratford City

Stratford City

Westfield Stratford City is a shopping centre in Stratford, London, owned by the Westfield Group. The centre opened on 13 September 2011. With a total retail floor area of , it is one of the largest urban shopping centres in Europe. It is the 3rd largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom by...

) may pass through the lock, taking spoil out and delivering building materials on to the sites, via a new wharf on the Waterworks River

Waterworks River

Waterworks River is a tidal river in the London Borough of Newham, one of the Bow Back Rivers that flow into the Bow Creek part of the River Lea, which in turn flows into the River Thames....

. The barges will pass directly into the northern section of Bow Creek

Bow Creek

Bow Creek is a long tidal estuary of the River Lea and is part of the Bow Back Rivers. Below Bow Locks the creek forms the boundary between the London Boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets, in east London....

 to 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,...

. The head of water created by the lock may be used to fill the mill pound and once more allow operation of the Three Mills

Three Mills

The Three Mills are former working mills on the River Lea in the East End of London, one of London’s oldest extant industrial centres. The largest and most powerful of the four remaining tidal mills is possibly the largest tidal mill in the world...

 tidal mill.

History

An unexploded 2200 pounds (998 kg) Hermann

SC1000 bomb

The SC 1000 bomb was an air-dropped general-purpose demolition bomb used by Germany in World War II. Over 1,000 lb Amatol. Weighing 1,000 kg, it was nicknamed the Hermann by the British in reference to the portly Luftwaffe commander, Hermann Göring. Many of them were dropped on the...

 bomb from World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 was found on 2 June 2008. The bomb was made safe, in a controlled explosion, after five days of disruption to tube and rail services.

The lock opened officially on Friday 5 June 2009, and has begun limited operations. But expected use of the lock is expected to be just "one barge a week"

Transport links

West Ham and Bromley-by-Bow

Bromley-by-Bow tube station

Bromley-by-Bow tube station is a London Underground station on the Blackwall Tunnel Northern Approach Road in the Bromley-by-Bow neighbourhood of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in east London, England. The station is on the District and Hammersmith & City lines, with both services sharing a...

 are the nearest London Underground stations. The nearest Docklands Light Railway stations are Bow Church

Bow Church DLR station

Bow Church station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway on Bow Road, in the Bow neighbourhood of east London. The station is located on the DLR's Stratford branch, between Devons Road and Pudding Mill Lane stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. It is within 300 m walking distance of Bow...

and Pudding Mill Lane

Pudding Mill Lane DLR station

Pudding Mill Lane DLR station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway in east London. It is situated in the road of the same name in a light industrial area...