Hanwell

Hanwell Locks and Norwood Locks is a delightful place to spot wildlife and learn a bit of canal history. You can explore further afield, along the Brent River Park Walk, or take the Grand Union Canal Walk all the way into Birmingham.

Back in time
William Jessop, chief engineer of the Grand Junction Canal, was a pioneer in his day. Here at Hanwell Locks, Jessop had the foresight to build locks which were wide enough to take two narrowboats at the same time.

Hanwell Flight of Locks is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

What to see
A canal is a wildlife corridor and a wonderful place to explore. Hanwell Flight and the River Brent provide a safe haven for birds, insects, small mammals such as water voles, and wild flowers. They are all here to see if you look carefully.

Find out more about waterway wildlife

Go for a walk along the canal
A canal site changes over the years as people use it in different ways and these people leave a trail of history behind them. You can follow this history trail along the towpath and find evidence of the past.

There are lock keepers’ cottages beside many of the locks. Most of them are privately owned, so please respect the owner’s privacy. In the early nineteenth century, when the cottages were built, lock-keepers had a busy life making sure that the passage of boats up and down the flight ran smoothly.

Two of the cottages along the towpath at Hanwell Locks have been demolished. Can you see where they are? One of them was on an island on the River Brent where there is now a picnic area.

Rope burns
When your boat enters a lock, you hitch a rope around a bollard. As your boat nears the bollard, you take up the rope slack, keeping the boat close to the lock side. When your boat passes the bollard, you will need strength in your arms, legs and back as you let out some of the rope which judders and snaps tight around the bollard. This is how rope burns are made.

Bollards come in all shapes and sizes. Some are metal, others are made from tree trunks.

Read more about canal heritage
Explore the area around Hanwell Locks with our detailed circular walk

Go for a meal
The Fox public house, near Lock 97, serves food.

Find a pub or restaurant in nearby Brentford with the Waterscape.com eating and drinking guide

Did you know..?
Horses towing narrowboats could be dragged into the canal when their ropes became crossed on busy days. Boatmen would say that a horse ‘took a look’ when it was pulled into the canal. But how did it get out again? Look closely and you’ll find that what looks like a path into the canal is actually a way out of it.

Read more about horseboating

Access and directions
You can join the Grand Union Canal towpath at the bottom of Hanwell Locks from Green Lane, W7 and at Norwood Top Lock from Havelock Road.

Boston Manor on the Piccadilly Line is the nearest London Underground Station. The closest British Rail station is at Hanwell.