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Hanwell Locks - a Scheduled Ancient Monument

The flight of six locks at Hanwell raises the Grand Union Canal by just over 53 feet above the height of the River Brent over a distance of a third of a mile. Located in a pleasant rural setting, the locks have been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by English Heritage.

They are the work of William Jessop, chief engineer of the Grand Junction Canal, who had the foresight to design the locks to be wide enough to accommodate two narrowboats at the same time.

The locks are bounded on the north by the former County Asylum (known as Hanwell Asylum), now Ealing Hospital. The long brick wall between the locks and the hospital is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument. A bricked-up arch can be clearly seen in this wall. This is the site of a short branch of the canal which led to a dock within the asylum. Canal boats used this dock to deliver coal for the Asylum's boilers and to take away fruit and vegetables which were produced in the asylum's large market gardens.

There are some side ponds at the locks. These were used to store reserves of water to keep the locks topped-up as required.

Some lock-keepers cottages survive as private residences, but some have been demolished.
by Thomas Nugent

Created: Mon, 5 Sep 2011, Updated: Mon, 5 Sep 2011


55 images use this description. Preview sample shown below:

TQ1479 : Lock 92, Grand Union Canal by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Lock keepers house at Lock 93, Hanwell Locks by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Lock 94, Hanwell flight by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Narrowboat, Grand Union Canal by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Hanwell Locks by Thomas Nugent
TQ1479 : Hanwell Locks by Thomas Nugent
TQ1479 : Beside lock 92, Hanwell Locks by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Lock 93 and lock keepers house by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Lock 92, Grand Union Canal by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Hanwell Lock, 96 by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Coots at Lock 90 by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Grand Union Canal and Railway by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Lock 94, Grand Union Canal by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Lock keepers Cottage, Hanwell Lock 97 by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Hanwell Locks by Thomas Nugent
TQ1479 : Lock 95, Grand Union Canal by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Lock 96, Grand Union Canal by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Lock 94, Hanwell Locks by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Hanwell Locks by Thomas Nugent
TQ1479 : Lock Keepers Cottage, Lock 92 by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Lock Keepers Cottage, Lock 95 by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Hanwell Locks by Thomas Nugent
TQ1479 : On Windmill Bridge by Oast House Archive
TQ1479 : Hanwell Flight by N Chadwick
TQ1479 : Hanwell Locks by Thomas Nugent

... and 30 more images.

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