Foxham and Lyneham Structures
| Foxham Lock |
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Neil Hicks took these photographs of Foxham top lock restoration. The dates of these images range between 1989 and 1991. It is an ideal opportunity to see the restoration process stage by stage.
Those members with long memories (or those wanting to see the initial state of the lock) should cast their minds back to the summer of 1989 ! This was when the restoration of the lock at Foxham started On 1st July that year this was the state of the ground showing what was left of Foxham top lock. Anyone not associated with canal restoration may struggle to see the lock at all. However, it should be explained that this is a relatively good example of a disused lock (at least on the Wilts and Berks). The work at that time must have been fairly intense as just twenty four hours later there was a clear and noticeable improvement in the ground. - What a difference removing the ground cover can make. As can be seen from the photograph the base (invert) of the lock contains an amount of water. I'm reliably informed that there was no rainfall in the two days concerned. It is at this point, rather than during restoration that the narrowness of the lock is most apparent. As with all excavated lock chambers, the amount of silt and infill is remarkable. Here, the bucket lift crane can be seen allowing relatively large volumes to be removed at a time. The speed of work on this project is quite impressive. This photograph was taken just one week after the work began on site. All the work to this point had been undertaken by volunteers and members of the Trust. An initial assessment of the wall structures can also be made along with an assessment of any damage caused by trees and shrubs that may have grown into the lock and/or wing walls.
One month after starting work the main trees having started the work, trees were removed from the lock walls. (See left). From August 89 through to December of the same year the lock was emptied and trees removed until the base (invert) of the lock was clearly visible. The picture (see right) shows the stage reached by December '89. Note the silt lines on the lock walls showing just how much material had to be removed. Also, note the bridge in place at the head of the lock. With the Christmas break and a very wet month causing some delay, progress slowed at the start of 1990
February saw construction work start in earnest. The existing brickwork was examined and any damaged or suspect items were removed exposing the lock walls. This is the stage where many volunteers say it seems things have become worse rather than getting better. However, it is a necessary process in order to return to a sound basis on which to build. All locks on the Wilts and Berks go through this process, it is only the degree of restoration which varies from site to site. The terraced effect of the lock walls shows how far back this process extended and how much material was lost (albeit temporarily) in the reconstruction.
The modern construction process has one additional significant consideration to the original method - health and safety. For that reason, all our restored locks have a safety ladder installed which means a slight amendment to the original design. Hopefully everyone agrees its a change that adds to the original. The picture on the right (March 1990) shows the process of installing a cut to cater for the ladder which will be installed in full at a later stage of the restoration process.
One month later in April 1990 laying of the replacement brickwork was started, making a real difference to the appearance of the lock. The Trust has to consider the best time to lay new bricks so that frost damage doesn't compromise the work undertaken. Also. the winter is often too cold to guarantee a good result. - Not to mention the fact that it stops our volunteers from freezing ! - Not too much of a problem in April though. Where possible, we reuse any salvageable materials which explains why some of the bricks look old
One of skills existing within the Trust is scaffolding. Foxham gives a clear example as to when this would be used. The picture on the left (April 1990) shows the scaffolding being put in place with the right picture showing the final result. The level of the scaffold boards to the level of the digger (right picture) shows the amount of wall to be rebuilt, not to mention the lock wing-walls (the entry and exit points to the lock). This work was undertaken in April in preparation for the visit of the Waterways Recovery Group who attended the site the following month.
The late spring / early summer 1990 saw the lock walls rising at a fair speed. With assistance from the Waterways Recovery Group great progress was made raising the walls back towards their original levels. The other activities undertaken during this visit of the Waterways Revovery Group was to look at the lift bridge which had formed part of the original lock structure.
Unfortunately, I cannot credit those within the photographs - however, if you know who they were (or if you recognise yourself) please emailing the WEB Master with your details.
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For the real enthusiasts I am afraid my information on the digger is incomplete, so if it did have a name let me know - failing that, it was red ! Whatever it was called it clearly did a great job in just 24 hours.
This would appear to be residual water and underground run-off. It seems that most of the locks on the route had been very well constructed, as this and seven locks had a watertight base after nearly 100 years of disuse.
Having said this is a narrow lock, the length can be seen well in this picture. It shows how easily six members and a bucket lift can be accommodated with little impact on the available space.
