I am grateful to Neil Hicks (now living in Canada) for the 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.
Foxham Top Lock
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.
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.
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. 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.
`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.