Lock 3 By far the further forward in terms of restoration and visible progress, lock 3 is even more advanced than this picture (taken in the autumn of 2005) would suggest.
Those in the know in Foxham branch believe there is about one weeks work to complete work on the lock (in terms of brickwork - gates will need to be made for each lock)
However, given that it is too cold to lay bricks during the winter, it's possible the lock walls may not be finished until the spring of 2006
The towpath between locks four and five has also received a great deal of attention over the past few months. Hedges have been layed (a scarce art across the country)
The Waterways Recovery Group (WRG) work camp took place at Seven Locks, Foxham during the last full week of October 2005. Work concentrated on locks 3 and 4 (the central locks and the most advanced in terms of restoration) with additional clean up work on the general site.
WRG members ranging from teachers and IT technicians to spice salesmen and postal workers met to work on seven locks over the week of the camp. Not surprisingly for the last meeting of the year, it was oversubscribed meaning many hands to occupy.
The most advanced of the locks (lock 3) was the focus for the bricklaying team.
Bad weather at the beginning of the week put the team behind schedule, however, by the middle of the week the lock chamber and wing walls were packed with team members making up for lost time. Several experienced bricklayers took the opportunity to pass on their skills as well as overseeing their progress. 
As well as the wing walls, a WRG separate team were preparing the supporting wall with a constant flow of cement!
Two cement mixers were working overtime to keep up with the pace and needless to say they managed it with their usual expertise. As shown in this photograph, the terrain was quite difficult with a steep angle between the walls and working area.
Several of the WRG team are repeat visitors to the site and are already hoping to return to any camps held in 2006! Some of the group explained that they are particularly keen on the Wilts & Berks because it is one of the few Trusts offering such a wide range of tasks.Lock three was certainly keeping those who preferred the brickwork and concrete very happy.
It was only when you looked into the chamber of lock three (the work shown above is taking place at the far end) that you could see just how much has been achieved.
The purists will notice the vertical slit in the lock wall on the right hand side. Although not originally part of the lock, this houses the ladder required for modern health and safety regulations.
Although there is still plenty of work on the site, lock three is starting to show what can be expected once restoration moves onto the other locks in the flight.