Not long ago I saw an article about Gloucester's secret canal at Llanthony Lock and decided to find it.
It turns out it's on Alney Island and is just 853 meters in a straight line from my front door!
The orange bit south of the A40 is the 56 hectare Alney Island Nature reserve. Downloadable map is here.
Llanthony Lock is at the southern tip of the nature reserve.
I couldn't quite work out where the secret canal was so dug a bit deeper and found this 1901 map that shows what was there over 120 years ago.
This 1928 aerial photograph clearly shows the weir, the footbridge and the lock.
Llanthony Lock was built in 1871 to allow boats, passing up and down the River Severn, avoid the new weir that was constructed to ensure there was always a minimum depth of six feet in the river above Gloucester.
The weir in 2023 (Lock House hidden behind trees on the left)
The area is being restored by the Hereford & Gloucester Canal Trust and currently the only public access is the footpath through the lock itself.
There's a history website compiled by the Friends of Alney Island that tells you almost everything you'd want to know about the Island: click here
Llanthony Lock is quite easy to find. Park at the Castle Meads pay & display car park and there's a footpath to the lock from the southern end.
On that footpath are direction signs for long-distance footpaths I'd never heard of.
Intriguing... Footbridge (access to Lock House)
Llanthony Lock in the early 1900s
Llanthony Lock in February 2023
The lock was closed permanently in 1924 when the walls began moving inward.
Fascinating history of the Lock and future plans for canal restoration.
It's a very short canal with room for perhaps four narrowboats.
The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal is being restored (sounds expensive) and should promote tourism and a renewed interest in UK waterways. Information here.
I had no idea there are such interesting sights almost on my doorstep.
If you'd like to explore then these links may help you find your way (click on the red text):
Llanthony Lock centre:
Footbridge access point (it's a gated footpath):
Stephen Wilkinson-Carr
28 February 2023
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