Your floating hotel on the Canals and Rivers of the UK

Our guide to the waterways of the UK in detail.

The history of the River Thames.

Weirs to improve navigation were in use as early as 1585.

Between Oxford and Didcot the Thames falls 30 ft in just 15 miles, so in 1632 a commission was set up and three pound locks were built at Iffley, Sandfort and Swift Ditch, to assist navigation here. They were masonry locks, 80 foot by 20 ft.

However progress on replacing flash locks by pound locks was very slow due to the opposition of millers, despite the extra trade brought in by improvements on the River Wey by 1653.

At Abingdon the monks had diverted the river for the 'convince and cleanliness of their abbey', then the 1632 had returned it too the Swift Cut. However in 1790 the present channel and Abbingdon lock were created.

In 1695 another commission was set up to improve the rest of the river, however despite the improvements to the River Kennett by 1723 it was not until 1771 that they gained any real power to improve, They built 8 timber pound locks between Reading and Maidenhead. Then between 1777 and 1795 they had built another series up from Reading to Oxford partly motivated by the extra trade expected to be brought in from the Oxford canal in the 1790's.

The original Act for the Oxford canal in 1769 had prohibited a connection to the River Thames. In a new Act of 1786 this prohibition was removed. However as a result at first there was no direct connection the canal ended in New Road Basin in 1790.

In 1789 the Duke of Marlborough had built and opened Dukes Cut a short branch which connected the Oxford canal to the River Thames above ?? lock. This enabled cheap coal to be taken directly to his property and to be traded on the river. Then in 1796 connection to the Thames was made near the terminus at New Road basin through Isis Lock and Sheepwash canal. This was a broad lock to allow barges to come up off the river to tranship cargoes, however in the 1850's it was rebuilt as a narrow lock.

Also in 1789 the Thames & Severn canal was opened to the Thames at Lechlade but lack of improvements to the upper Thames greatly hampered trade.

However below Maidenhead only one lock had been built before 1800, so the Grand Junction canal was then authorised partly to provide an alternative route. Then expecting trade off the Kennet and Avon at Reading and the Wilts and Berks at Abingdon, both opened in 1810, to increase traffic, between 1811 and 1815 many new locks were built. With this impetus the gaps were steadily filled in until by 1845 the Thames up to Oxford was complete throughout with pound locks.

In 1789 the Thames and Severn had arrived at Lechlade. But the upper Thames was unimproved despite repeated complaints, which eventually led to the North Wilts canal being authorised in 1813 to bypass this stretch.

In 1857 the Thames Conservatory was set up for the Thames below Staines, then in 1861 for the whole river but by then trade was leaving the canals and rivers for the railways.

It was not until the 1890's that money was spent on providing pound locks on the upper Thames this was in response to the creation of a trust to try and save the Thames and Severn canal, but it was too late.

In 1898 6 flash locks each with a fall of just over a foot were replaced by the creation of Radcott Lock.

Sources.

Nicholson Guides to the Waterways.

Some pictures of this river?

Teddington to Weybridge. / Reading to Oxford / Oxford / Oxford to Lechlade.

General information on the river.

Find our information about other canals and rivers on the canal index page.

If you have any questions then do ring us on 07977 229103
or email us at martinreed@reedboats.co.uk