Upper staircase of Foxton Locks

Foxton Locks are ten canal locks consisting of two "staircases" each of five locks, located on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal about 5 km west of the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and are named after the nearby village of Foxton. ImageMetadata File history File links FoxtonLocks. ... ImageMetadata File history File links FoxtonLocks. ... Canal locks in England. ... The canal at Braunston The Grand Union Canal is a canal in England and part of the British canal system. ... Leicestershire (abbreviated Leics) is a landlocked county in central England. ... The stilted Grammar School Market Harborough is a market town in Leicestershire, England, upon the River Welland. ... Foxton is a village in Leicestershire, England, to the north-west of Market Harborough. ...

Staircase locks are used where a canal needs to climb a steep hill, and consist of groups of locks which open directly into each other. Foxton Locks are the largest flight of such staircase locks on the English canal system. The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France Canals are man-made waterways, usually connecting existing lakes, rivers, or oceans. ...

The locks are a popular tourist attraction and the county council has created a country park at the top. At the bottom, where the junction with the arm to Market Harborough is located, there is a public house, shop, trip boat and other facilities. The area is thus ideal for gongoozlers. A tourist attraction is a place where tourists, foreign and domestic, normally visit. ... A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. ... An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada... Categories: Stub | Recreation | Canals in the United Kingdom ...

Foxton inclined plane

In 1900 an inclined plane was built to the side of the locks. The aim was partly to speed up the passage of boats, but also as part of an effort to allow the passage of wide-beam barges instead of just narrowboats: a plan to build a similar inclined plane at the Watford Locks at the other end of the canal's summit level was never carried through. 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... An inclined plane is a system used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... A narrowboat is a boat or small barge used on narrow beam canals in Britain. ... An inclined plane is a system used on some canals for raising boats between different water levels. ... The 4-lock staircase, part of Watford Locks on the Grand Union Canal Watford Locks are seven locks on the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal, close to the village of Watford in Northamptonshire, famous for the Watford Gap service area. ...

It was was designed by Gordon Cale Thomas and had 2 tanks or caissons, each capable of holding 2 narrowboats or a barge. The caissons were full of water, and so balanced each other. The lift was powered by a 25 horsepower (19 kW) stationary engine. A caisson is: In engineering, a retaining structure used, for example, to work on the foundations of a bridge pier. ... A narrowboat is a boat or small barge used on narrow beam canals in Britain. ... Self propelled barge carrying bulk crushed stone A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. ... A stationary engine is an engine that does not move. ...

The inclined plane had a journey time of 12 minutes for 2 boats up and 2 down and improved the speed of passage up the hill tremendously. Unlike the locks, where water flowed downhill everytime a boat passed through, on the inclined plane the same amount of water went up and down the hill thus a saving of water was achieved, giving better control of this valuable resource.

Nonetheless, the Foxton inclined plane proved uneconomic and was abandoned in 1911 although remains can still be seen. There is a campaign to raise funds to re-build it. A small museum alongside the locks is run by a charitable trust attempting to raise these funds. 1911 was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... A museum is typically a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment. ...

External links

• Foxton Locks and Partnership
• Foxton Inclined Plane Trust