Castle Mills Lock

Castle Mills Lock is a canal lock chamber that was rebuilt in 1889. It is constructed of gritstone, with some areas repaired using concrete. Near the center of the chamber, there are recesses in each side wall that have grooves for stop planks. The double timber gates are a 20th-century replacement, but the 19th-century cast-iron winding and paddle gear is still intact. Historically, the Foss Navigation Act was passed in 1793, and the canal was opened to Strensall around 1796. In 1859, York Corporation obtained an Act to abandon most of the Foss Navigation, retaining just over one mile in York. The Corporation rebuilt Castle Mills Lock in 1889 for Henry Leetham and Sons, flour millers, to accommodate steam keels measuring 97 feet by 18 feet 6 inches, carrying 230 tons.