Operating Gear

The Operating Gear is a structure featuring engineering brick walls topped with heavy stone copings. At the upper end, there is a ground paddle and a gate, along with a segmental section in the north wall of the chamber. Similar segmental sections are present at the lower end. An iron guard rail, approximately 150 mm by 12 mm, runs along the narrowing of the upper pound and the headland between this and the Guilsfield Canal arm. On the northwest bank, there is radial-arm paddle gear made by the Coalbrookdale Company, which is enclosed on three sides by heavy stone blocks. This structure was likely designed by George Buck during the engineering improvements to the canal that took place between 1819 and 1831. Iron-shod timber gates were removed at the time of inspection in August 1994.