Heritage Statement, Anton’s Gowt Lock
Tom Woodcock, CRT Heritage Advisor
February 2015
Background
Antons Gowt lock provides navigational access from the River Witham to the Newham Drain. It’s Grade 2
listed, and is one of very few locks on this ancient navigation, though the lock itself is thought to be from the
early 19th century.
The Fossdyke & Witham navigation runs from the River Trent at Torksey, across Lincolnshire to Boston
covering approximately 43 miles. The route is first reported to have been improved and used by the
Romans; the Fossdyke (from Torksey to Lincoln) is thought to be Britain’s earliest canal (but there is
uncertainty whether it is indeed a Roman canal)
Many campaigns of improvement were made throughout history to create a useable navigation, but most had
very limited or short lived success. In 1766 Boston Grand Sluice was built, and Smeetons works were
carried out in 1782 deepening the navigation by raising the water level 10 inches.
By 1840, it was again of insufficient depth and width as reported by Messrs Stevenson & Grundy. It was
resolved to deepen to 6 foot throughout, and widen to 45 feet. Torksey Lock was renewed, and pumps
added increasing the depth to between 5 & 6 feet, where it remains today. Whilst little mention can be found
of Anton’s Gowt Lock, today’s structure has a construction broadly the same as Torksey lock suggesting it
was built around the same period.
To the immediate north of the lock, stone abutments remain of a bridge carrying the Lincoln-Boston
Railway; completed 1848. The bridge has been removed since the railways closure.
Construction/ Description
The lock walls are constructed in massive stone blocks, timber gates at either end are constructed using
traditional techniques in oak, and replaced on a rolling program of around 25 years.
The gate recesses into which the gates rest when open are curved, suggesting the original gates were curved
too. Such gates are known to have existed at Stamp End lock and others; today the lock gates on all the
Fossdyke and Witham locks are built straight and square, the improvement in strength for curved gates being
too insignificant to justify their added cost.
Balance beams are steel section, in filled with concrete counter-balancing, and have ‘Man-draulic’ paddle
operating systems, a 1970’s hydraulic based method of operation.
Quadrants are formed in large, squared stone cobbles, with heel grips in the same cobbles raised
approximately 300mm. Stone and cement walls retain soil to the rear of the quadrants.
The site has extensive timber post & rail fencing, and grassed areas.
Current issue
The bottom gates were replaced within a scheme of other works including paths and fencing in 2011-12, but
the top gates (riverside) had previously been clad in marine ply-board to prevent boats becoming caught on
on the structural (skeletal) side of the timber gates. Unfortunately boats becoming caught in the gates or on
the cill (an underwater ledge) have been a common and re-occurring problem for as long as canals have
existed. Problems and occurrence have however increased with greater use of the waterways in recent years,
and in particular by the larger proportion of leisure users who can be less practiced and aware of the risks of
gate hang-ups than the more experienced user.
Getting a boat stuck on the gate is both very costly in the damage caused to the gates and the user’s boats,
but more importantly very dangerous and does occasionally result in fatalities. As one end of the boat is
trapped into the gate frame and held up, it forces the other end of the boat underwater. Once the boat takes
on water, it’s likely it’s going to sink with perhaps only a couple of options for the boat operator.
Often the reaction is to reverse the sluices and put water back into the lock to try and re-float the boat free,
but often it’s too late and the boat remains trapped and with one end on the bottom of the lock. Alternatively
the boat might become free, crashing down to the lock floor and again is sunk or badly damaged. In a worst
case scenario, the gates could be sufficiently damaged that water floods from the river uncontrollably.
Despite the leisurely appearance of canals and locks, all this can happen very quickly and result in people
trapped in the boat. In the case of the Drum Major disaster, it resulted in 4 fatalities (appendix 1)
Proposal
As the nation’s canals continue to get busier and more new and amateur boaters take to the water, the
solution is both traditional and relatively inexpensive. We propose to attach to the back of the gate frame a
series of vertical timbers along the area of the gate where trapping is possible. The new timbers will be in
oak to match the existing gates, and will look entirely in keeping. Elsewhere on the network, fendering has
in some cases been in place for hundreds of years, but Anton’s Gowt lock appears not to have had it
previously.
As the gate exists now, ply-wood has been attached as a temporary safety measure; this has performed
adequately, and removed the risk of gate hang ups but is now decaying and is recognised as the originally
temporary solution it was, so there is a desire this time to do the job properly and in keeping with the historic
character of the lock.
The current gates are themselves modern, and not particularly well matched to the original gates as
constructed in the 1840’s (as these are highly likely to have been curved). The new fendering has the
potential to be a considerable improvement on the plywood currently fitted, and will not alter or damage any
historic fabric but will allow the lock to continue in its original use more safely.
Photos
Antons Gowt Lock, Top Gates
Anton’s Gowt bottom lock gate (outside chamber showing framing – this will be exposed when the plyboard is removed from the top gates)
Appendix 1; Drum major disaster
SYNOPSIS (from accident investigation)
The accident occurred at the Steg Neck lock on the Leeds and Liverpool canal on
Wednesday 19 August 1998. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch was informed of
the incident by the Health and Safety Executive at 1620 that day but did not take over
primacy for its investigation until 20 August. It was investigated by Captain P Kavanagh.
Four carers and four disabled people with learning difficulties were taking a week's
holiday on board the narrow boat Drum Major on the Leeds and Liverpool canal. They
had started their holiday at Silsden on Sunday 16 August and had travelled as far as
Foulridge where they turned round and started their return journey on 19 August.
The holiday had been mainly uneventful and the transit of Steg Neck lock should have
been like many others they had already undertaken. The carers were handling the boat
while the four disabled passengers were seated inside the accommodation.
Drum Major entered the lock as normal but before the top gate was shut, a second narrow
boat, Dan's Drum, approached, wanting to share the lock and descend together. With both
boats in the lock the top gate was shut and the routine of opening the bottom gate paddles
to drain the water in the lock started.
Very shortly afterwards it was realised that Drum Major's bow fender had caught between
the top of the bottom gate and the balance beam above it and, as the water-level began to
fall, the bow remained suspended while the stern dropped to such a degree that it started to
take water on board. Steps were taken to try to arrest the situation by shutting the bottom
gate paddles and opening a top gate paddle. In opening the top gate paddle, however,
water started to pour into the stem of Drum Major, and the paddle was quickly closed.
Suddenly the bow came free of the bottom gate. The boat dropped heavily and created a
large wave that surged through the lock and swamped Drum Major, causing her to fill with
water and sink. Attempts to rescue the four disabled people trapped inside were
unsuccessful. All four were declared dead at the scene.
The cause of the foundering was an uncontrolled ingress of water into Drum Major while
she was descending in the lock. A main contributory cause was that she was positioned
too far forward in the lock, contrary to the advice provided in the Waterways Code for
Boaters, which is issued by British Waterways.
The report makes a number of recommendations addressed to British Waterways with
respect to the reporting and analysis of accidents and hazardous incidents, the adequacy of
narrow boat emergency escape routes, and the fitting of weak securing arrangements to
bow fenders of the type on Drum Major.