Ryeford Double Lock Gates
Keeping it wet!
By Lois Francis
Thrupp School looking at Ryeford Double Locks
by Thrupp School
Children from Thrupp Primary School walked the Thames and Severn Canal near their school. The walk was led by Cotswold Canals Knowledge team, Jan Thomas and Paul Weller.
The children were fascinated to find that the new lock gates for the recently refurbished Ryeford Double Locks, have to be kept damp until they are fitted at the lock. They are covered with hessian which is watered weekly. Wood expands when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry. As part of a lock gate is always out of the water, they can become distorted (twisted), so it is important to keep the canal water levels fairly constant. These gates are waiting for the work to be done above the locks ie higher up the canal and will be put in when the water level can be raised to its correct depth. The people who made the gates had to move them here to store them as the space was needed for the next pair to be made. They are made in Yorkshire of oak.