OLD DOUBLE LOCK - FOLLOW UP

In the last issue of Cuttings our item on the Old Double Locks ended with an appeal for more information. Shortly afterwards during a work party at Penkford Bridge volunteers were approached by a passer-by who offered some photographs of the canal. They were not on loan but were to be a gift to the Society. They turned out to be little gems.

1954 was evidently a very wet year and the Water Board was evidently concerned enough to send out a photographer to record the situation, and some of the locations were around the Old Double Lock.

The first picture was taken on 21st January, following two nights of heavy rain, showed the weir on the Blackbrook Branch, north of the Old Double Lock, well before the installation of the present footbridge. Water levels are very high, and the flow is impeded by the shape of the weir which blocks off two thirds of the width of the canal, channelling all the water through the middle third. The west bank of the canal, which was once a coal loading wharf, still retains many of the timber posts which formed the canal bank.

The next view was looking down the main line of the canal from the Old Double Lock. The channel here is deeply incised into the ground, much deeper than when the canal was in use, yet it is very full, surging against the concrete conduit which carries a pipeline across the canal. This still survives and an inspection will give an idea of how much water was filling the channel. In the background can be seen Callens Farm House and Callens Swing Bridge, the standard bridge type on this canal. So far this is the only know photograph of this bridge.

Following heavy rain on the nights of 5th and 6th November (some things never change) all local watercourses were again full, fast and furious, so out went the photographer, this time to the Double Lock itself. The track level on the railway bridge which carried the Haydock branch over the lock was quite high so approach embankments were needed to the north and south. These are visible on two photographs of the north and south lock walls.

At the lock itself the embankments merged into stone built abutments which connected up with the bridge. The tow path has its own simple beam bridge on the south bank and some ruined brickwork can be seen which might be the remains of the Lock Cottage.

The last photograph is a view up the top lock chamber towards the gates. Although the paddle gear has long gone the gates are intact and this is just as well, considering the torrent of water which is pouring over the top and foaming through the lock chamber. The stone built bridge abutment on the south bank is clear, and the bottom girders of the actual bridge are shown, with the swinging mechanism just showing on the north bank. Across the top pound can be seen the coal loading wharf

The original photo quality is not of the best, and we are still experimenting with reproduction methods for Canal Cuttings, but we hope you can get the picture from the efforts we’ve made. Better images may be seen on our web-site. In the meantime, the search goes on for that elusive photograph of the lock keeper’s cottage, Callens Bridge, the dwellings along the south bank and of course the railway bridge itself. All contributions gratefully received.