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Description: Lock No. 1 onto Sowerby Basin

Address: Albert Wood Lock No. 1 Rochdale Canal Between Hebden Bridge & Sowerby Bridge West Yorkshire

Grade: II

Group detail: Rochdale Canal, Sowerby Bridge

Full description:
Canal lock. c1798. For the Rochdale Canal Company. Large blocks of coursed stone, quoins and some upper blocks punch-dressed. Recesses in each side wall at either end for lock gates (removed) and at lower (east) end for a 2nd pair of gates. At upper end lock-gate recesses have culvert entrances and iron buffers are attached to the top of the round-cornered entrance walls. The Rochdale Canal was opened up in sections between 1798 and 1804. The line was originally surveyed by James Brindley in 1776, resurveyed by John Rennie in 1791, and construction was finally supervised by William Jessop (engineer) and William Crossley (resident engineer). The idea of having a second pair of gates at one end of the lock was that whilst the lock was large enough to hold the 74' x 14'2" x 4' craft coming from the Manchester end of the canal, when the shorter (57'6" x 14') craft from the Calder and Hebble Navigation went through the inner gate could be used, so shortening the lock and requiring less water (50 tons of water could be saved on each filling/emptying). However, it is not certain that this system was actually put into practice (Parry, p64). K Parry, (Trans-Pennine Heritage, Hill, People and Transport) (1981). Sowerby Bridge Chamber of Trade and Commerce Official Tourist Guide.