Description and History of Site:-
The lowest of the 3 locks on the River Witham the others being Bardney and Stamp End.

A sluice is recorded as having been on the River Witham in Boston as early as 1142 when a 'great sluice' was erected across the river. In 1316 this wooden structure was reported as being 'ruinous and in great decay'.

In 1500 May Hake, a Dutchman, is recorded as having built a masonry and timber structure across the narrowest part of the river upstream of the town bridge. Hake's sluice had two waterways, 44ft(13.41m) and 21ft(6.40m) wide respectively, which were closed against the tide by horizontally hinged flap doors suspended from iron hooks. Whilst the sluice lasted only for about 100 years the bridge carried on the sluice lasted until 1807.

The current sluice was originally built by John Grundy and Langley Edwards of Kings Lynn in 1766 and although much altered it remains substantially as-built. The sluice has three 17ft(5.18m) wide sluices with timber pointing doors on both the land and seaward side and a navigation lock on the north-eastern bank. Enlarged in 1881 the lock can be used as a relief waterway in time of flood. In 1979/82 the pointing doors were replaced by vertical steel lifting gates.

Further Reading and References:-
https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MLI88913&resourceID=1006
Wright N R, Lincolnshire's Industrial Heritage - A Guide, Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology, 2004,BN11-p8
Labrum E A, Civil Engineering Heritage - Eastern and Central England, Thomas Telford, 1994
Wheeler W H, History of the fens of South Lincolnshire, 2nd ed, Boston and London, 1896

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Key Words :- land drainage, navigation

Viewing the Site :- Can be viewed from the public road or riverside footpath

Address :- Witham Bank East, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 9JH
Grid Ref :- TF 32372 44526
Co-ordinates :- Lat 52.981737 , Long -0.029780
Local Authority :- Boston Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Lincolnshire - Holland
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No - 1389076,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Site Dates :- 1142 - current
Record Date :- 19 April 2021

Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © John Suter