Home / Environment / 180-Year-Old Locks Get £355K Overhaul
180-Year-Old Locks Get £355K Overhaul
3 Jul
Summary
- Historic Diglis Small Lock gates are being repaired as part of a £355,000 improvement scheme.
- The lock has been drained for an eight-week period to allow for conservation and repairs.
- The lock, built in 1844, is one of two paired locks on the River Severn.
Major repair works, part of a £355,000 improvement scheme, are currently underway on the historic Diglis Small Lock in Worcester. This 180-year-old structure, built in 1844, is receiving essential refurbishment to its top and bottom oak gates. These gates, weighing over eight tonnes each, are being meticulously repaired to ensure continued navigation for boaters on the River Severn.
The lock has been strategically drained to accommodate an eight-week period of intensive work. Alongside gate repairs, conservation efforts are being directed towards the lock's Victorian brick chamber, which is over 200 years old and features more than a million hand-laid bricks. New ladders have also been installed to enhance safety for waterway users.
Diglis Small Lock is notable for being one of two paired locks on Diglis Island, the site of a former Victorian lock gate workshop. Its construction in 1844 alongside the larger Diglis Lock makes them the only paired locks found on the River Severn. This ingenious system is celebrated as an "amazing feat of engineering" by Mark Abraham, the construction manager.
