place

Mapledurham Lock

Locks of OxfordshireLocks on the River ThamesUse British English from November 2017Weirs on the River Thames
Mapledurham Lock
Mapledurham Lock

Mapledurham Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England, about 4 miles upstream of Reading. The lock was first built in 1777 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners and the present lock dates from 1908.Despite its name, the lock is located in the Berkshire village and civil parish of Purley-On-Thames on the south bank of the river, rather than in the Oxfordshire village of Mapledurham on the other side of the river. The lock is accessible from Purley village down Mapledurham Drive, a metalled lane that turns to gravel. The weir stretches across the river, in both counties.The weir runs from the lock island in a long curve across the river between the two villages. However no access is possible across the weir, and without a boat, journeys between the two villages require a lengthy detour via Reading or Pangbourne. The weir still provides a head of water to drive Mapledurham Watermill which is on the opposite side of the river. The weir is also the furthest upstream on the Thames that has a salmon ladder.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Mapledurham Lock (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Mapledurham Lock
Mapledurham Drive,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Mapledurham LockContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.48623 ° E -1.04078 °
placeShow on map

Address

Mapledurham Drive
RG8 8BE
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Mapledurham Lock
Mapledurham Lock
Share experience

Nearby Places

Arthur Newbery Park
Arthur Newbery Park

Arthur Newbery Park is a park in Tilehurst, Reading, Berkshire. It is named after Arthur Newbery, who donated the land in 1932. It is one of Reading's oldest parks and was once part of Kentwood Common. Hollows in the park are remains of chalk and clay pits.The park slopes down to the north giving views to the River Thames and across its valley. It is mainly grass, with scattered trees, although there are small wooded areas and a play area. What is now the play area was once a pool, the pool become less popular, then neglected c. 1994.The park is of 26 acres and was once owned by Arthur Newbery, who owned and ran a high class furniture shop located at the junction of Friar Street and Queen Victoria Street in Reading town centre in trade for over forty years. On 14 September 1932, Newbery gifted the park to the mayor of Reading as an open space for the people of Reading. The great and the good were gathered on the late summer afternoon, this being a Wednesday, as it was convenient for the half day closing thus allowing members of the Council who were shopkeepers and the like to attend. Following a small lunch held at Tilehurst Congregational Church at Polsted Road the party, numbering about thirty local dignitaries, walked through the park to the hill overlooking the Thames. Here Newbery made a short speech. Newbery cited the encroaching housing development in the area as his reason for the bequest. A photograph of the occasion appeared in the Reading Chronicle on 17 September, a copy of which is held at Reading Library. The Park was originally known as Hare Moor.The park had two public air raid shelters during World War II but these have since been filled in. Rabbits can still be seen on the odd occasion running wild in the avenue of trees at the bottom bordering Oak Tree Road where Lucas Farm once stood.