Lower Lock

Lower Lock is a canal lock built around 1800 and restored around 1971, designed by engineer John Rennie. It features a brick-lined basin with heavy sandstone coping that has a rounded edge. The walls at the upper end are flared out, while at the lower end, they continue in ashlar stone, which is also part of the adjacent bridge. The lock has two pairs of wooden gates equipped with cast iron gear at the upper end. The Kennet and Avon Canal Act was granted royal assent in 1794, leading to the issuance of 120 shares. John Rennie was appointed as the engineer in charge, with an initial estimate of £36,000 for the wide canal approved in July of that year. Work began at Newbury and Bradford-on-Avon, but delays in completing the staircase of locks at Devizes pushed the completion to late December 1810, when the first boat passed through.