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King's Lock
Waterway	River Thames
County	Oxfordshire
Maintained by	Environment Agency
Operation	Manual
First built	1928
Length	113’ 1” (34.46m)
Width	16’ 4” (4.97m)
Fall	2’ 6” (0.77m)
Above sea level	192'
Distance to Teddington Lock	97 miles

v t e King's Lock
Legend
River Thames Eynsham Lock & weir Wharf Stream River Evenlode Seacourt Stream Oxford Canal Dukes Lock (on Dukes Cut) railway bridge A40 road bridge King's Lock weir weir and old mill A34 road bridges Godstow Bridge weir weir Godstow Lock Seacourt Stream (To Osney Lock) River Thames

King's Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England. It is in open country to the north of Oxford, Oxfordshire, on the southern bank of the river. The lock was one of the last pound locks built on the Thames being built by the Thames Conservancy in 1928.

At the lock there is a large island. Behind this is the start of the Dukes Cut, which connects the Thames to the Oxford Canal and to a back stream that used to serve the University papermills at Wolvercote (and which rejoins the Thames at Godstow Lock). The weir is on the other side of the island.

History

There was a weir recorded at King's as far back as the 16th century. A pound lock was first proposed in 1817, but never built. A further proposal was made in 1845. The weir had a history of complaints about the water level and lack of attendance for the flash lock. Around 1872 a boatslide was built for the portage of small boats. The weir was rebuilt in 1885 but its replacement by a pound lock did not happen until 1928.

Access to the lock

The lock can be reached down a long track leading from the Godstow road just where it passes under the A34 Oxford by-pass.

Reach above the lock

Above the lock is the connection with Dukes Cut on the northern side and further on on the southern bank the Seacourt Stream separates off to rejoin at Osney Lock. The river runs through completely open country and, halfway along, the River Evenlode joins from the northern side. Wharf Stream also joins on the same side just before Eynsham Lock.

The Thames Path follows the southern bank to Eynsham Lock.

See also

• Locks on the River Thames

References

1. Statistics from Environment Agency A User's Guide to the River Thames:Part II
2. Fred. S. Thacker The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs 1920 - republished 1968 David & Charles

External links

• King's Lock at fellwalk.co.uk
• Photograph of King's Lock at geograph.org.uk

51°47′21″N 1°18′25″W / 51.78905°N 1.3069°W / 51.78905; -1.3069

• Locks on the River Thames
• Locks of Oxfordshire
• Thames Path