In 2022 the lock gates at Stenson were allowing so much water to leak that it was becoming a serious problem if water levels in the River Trent were affected by drought in our changed climates. The amount of water loss can be seen clearly from the photograph.
A new set of lower gates were installed in January 2023, together with the lower cill retaining water from leaking below the gate bottom. I remember the task being carried out in the 1060’s when the canal was closed for a week while BWB maintenance engineers used their own equipment, including a crane barge to carry out the work with the local gang. The task now has developed into a major engineering feat, with the provision of safety barriers and stairway construction taking longer than the original task. However such is todays emphasis on Health and Safety and the public were kept safe and we were given some wonderful views of modern equipment being employed on the refurbishment. What would the engineers of 250 years ago thought of our progress? Think what they would have been able to achieve with their vision and the use of a JCB.
Here we see the new gates installed with very little leakage from the centre and an acceptable leakage down the sides, which would seal as the wood swells as it becomes wet. Good for another few years.
