Garston Lock
Berkshire
One of only two surviving turf-sided locks in Britain. This early lock design was most often used on river navigations in the early 1700s, before the advent of canals.
The sides of the turf-lock are sloping so, when full, the lock is quite wide. Consequently, this type of lock needs more water to operate than the now more common brick or stone-sided variety.
Most of the locks of this type on the River Kennet were rebuilt with brick sides, and just this and Monkey Marsh Lock between Thatcham and Newbury remain in turf. Of the two, this one at Garston is the more authentic.
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