Industrial History Online
Old Ford Lock
Key Words :- lock
Address :- London, Greater London
Grid Ref :- TQ 3735 8396
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.537839 , Long -0.020979
Local Authority :- Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- London
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Description and History of Site:-
Mechanised 18ft wide paired locks, below which old River Lea joins navigation.
At the south end of the Hackney Cut/Lee Navigation. The pair of locks were replaced c.1856 when their height was raised. Metal footbridge connects to Dace Road. The retaining walls were of Kentish ragstone but have been heavily remodelled in concrete and sheet pile in the post-war period following bomb damage including the creation of a modernist mid-lock cabin. Old Ford Lock House to the east was heavily remodeled in the early 1990s. The house and its leafy grounds contribute to the setting of the lock.
Information panel:
Old Ford Lock has two locks side by side which date back to the 1800s when the River Lee was busy with cargo carrying boats. Today it's the perfect place for some sightseeing. The lock keeper's cottages were used to broadcast Channel 4's The Big Breakfast in the 1990s. On the opposite side you'll spot the former Percy Dalton nut factory and just a short stroll away you'll find the 2012 Olympic Stadium.
Smith and Carr (2004): 'Hackney Cut - two-mile cut built in the early 1770s following Smeaton's report of 1766. At the south end, Old Ford Lock was rebuilt ca.1856 as a double lock, with a rise some 4ft higher, so as to eliminate a second lock 1½ miles upstream. The banks were raised and walled with Kentish ragstone to provide quays to attract industry.'
Further Reading and References:-
Smith, Tim and Carr, Bob. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Hertfordshire and the Lea Valley'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 2004
Hackney Wick and the Old Ford Area Characterisation Study and Assessment of Key Buildings Compiled for EDAW Ltd
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/places-to-visit/old-ford-lock-and-bow-wharf
http://www.leeandstort.co.uk/Old_Ford_Lock.htm
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Grid Ref :- TQ 3735 8396
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.537839 , Long -0.020979
Local Authority :- Tower Hamlets London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- London
Site Status :- Site extant - No Protection
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Mechanised 18ft wide paired locks, below which old River Lea joins navigation.
At the south end of the Hackney Cut/Lee Navigation. The pair of locks were replaced c.1856 when their height was raised. Metal footbridge connects to Dace Road. The retaining walls were of Kentish ragstone but have been heavily remodelled in concrete and sheet pile in the post-war period following bomb damage including the creation of a modernist mid-lock cabin. Old Ford Lock House to the east was heavily remodeled in the early 1990s. The house and its leafy grounds contribute to the setting of the lock.
Information panel:
Old Ford Lock has two locks side by side which date back to the 1800s when the River Lee was busy with cargo carrying boats. Today it's the perfect place for some sightseeing. The lock keeper's cottages were used to broadcast Channel 4's The Big Breakfast in the 1990s. On the opposite side you'll spot the former Percy Dalton nut factory and just a short stroll away you'll find the 2012 Olympic Stadium.
Smith and Carr (2004): 'Hackney Cut - two-mile cut built in the early 1770s following Smeaton's report of 1766. At the south end, Old Ford Lock was rebuilt ca.1856 as a double lock, with a rise some 4ft higher, so as to eliminate a second lock 1½ miles upstream. The banks were raised and walled with Kentish ragstone to provide quays to attract industry.'
Smith, Tim and Carr, Bob. 'A Guide to the Industrial Archaeology of Hertfordshire and the Lea Valley'. Association for Industrial Archaeology, 2004
Hackney Wick and the Old Ford Area Characterisation Study and Assessment of Key Buildings Compiled for EDAW Ltd
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/canals-and-rivers/places-to-visit/old-ford-lock-and-bow-wharf
http://www.leeandstort.co.uk/Old_Ford_Lock.htm
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Contributor :- GLIAS Database - 2 June 2018
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © GLIAS Database
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © GLIAS Database