Bridgwater Dock, Tidal Basin, Locks, Quaysides, Bridges And Fittings

The Bridgewater Dock, Tidal Basin, locks, quaysides, bridges and fittings were built in 1841 by Thomas Maddicks. The complex is constructed of blue lias stone, granite, timber and cast-iron. The long, rectangular dock, located to the southwest, is connected by a lock and bridge to the trapezoid tidal basin to the northeast. The dock walls are of coursed stone, with timber upright fenders along the south side. The quay edges are granite to the north and south-east, and fronting Wares Warehouse; to the south and southwest they are of freestone, while the northwest side is of 20th-century construction. Three sets of locks are lined with brick, providing access to the west into the Bridgwater and Taunton canal, to the east into the tidal basin, and a further lock allows barges access into the River Parrett. A double-leaf bascule road bridge, operating on a similar principle to Tower Bridge in London (though manually operated), connects the banks between the two basins. Concrete works have now immobilized the wide gates to the ship entrance of the tidal basin, which previously functioned as a large lock. The quays of the tidal basin are built of thin upright freestone blocks and feature numerous small winches on pedestals, with the machinery protected by metal housings, along with bollards and railings. The main dock has a cogged base of a crane turntable to the southwest and 20th-century railings. Large winches with chains, housed in cast-iron enclosures, are located flanking the lock between the basins. Thomas Dawe Maddicks, an engineer born in 1801, is credited with the design and construction. The sluicing and scouring devices incorporated were relatively rare for the time, and it is possible that Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was building the railway and designing Bridgwater Station, may have provided advice. The Canal Company also built a brick kiln to utilize clay spoil for bricks and tiles used in the dock structures. The site is situated where the River Parrett, navigable for vessels up to 400 tons, meets the Bridgwater-Taunton canal.