Cotswold Canals in Pictures

Daneway Basin Lock

Daneway Basin Lock is the penultimate lock on the way up to the summit level from Stroud.

Of the six locks between Daneway Bridge and Whitehall Bridge, Daneway Basin Lock is probably in the best condition.

The far side of the lock (opposite the towpath) was cleared of undergrowth in late 2022 / early 2023, so the lock is now clearly visible for the first time in at least 50 years.

The lock has also been known as Daneway Lower Lock.

Construction

The lock was designed to take craft up to the standard dimensions of the Thames barges. It is about 90-feet (27.5m) long, 13-feet (4m) wide and has a rise of 9-feet (2.7m).

It was one of the locks shortened in 1840-41 as a water saving measure by throwing an arch across the top end of the lock and re-siting the sill and top gates. This explains why there are two sets of recesses at the head of the lock.

The chamber is now mainly brick lined but may originally to have been lined in stone; much of the brick seems to be of late-19th or early 20th century date. There is a substantial stone coping and stone-edged recesses for the gates.

(Tap / click images to enlarge)

 

Daneway Basin Lock
Daneway Basin Lock - looking towards Sapperton Canal Tunnel
Daneway Basin Lock
Looking into Daneway Basin Lock
Daneway Basin Lock
Daneway Basin Lock - looking towards Stroud
Daneway Basin Lock
Daneway Basin Lock

Historic Photos

Daneway Basin Lock
1904 view of Daneway Basin Lock, with the entrance to the basin on the left.
[Reproduced by permission of English Heritage]
Daneway Basin Lock
Daneway Basin Lock - view towards Sapperton.
[Reproduced by permission of English Heritage]