The above diagram is there to show willing - but I can't pretend it adds a great deal to the sum of human knowledge!
Most disappointingly the Environment Agency does not provide online readings from Hambleden Lock Upstream
or downstream, or from Marsh Lock downstream, thus making it impossible to calculate conditions in the
Henley Reach and Hambleden to Hurley
Hambleden to Marsh,
Hambleden to Hurley, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guides
1910: Hambleden in
Thames Villages by Charles Harper.
Maps
Right Bank, tel: 01491 571269, length: 135'2", width: 17'9"
Hambleden Weir for canoists.
See also.
Map: HAMBLEDEN LOCK
Hambleden Mill (and therefore weir) is in the Domesday Book
1376: Hamelden Weir held by
Richard le Scrope mentioned in a petition against the heightening and enlarging
of weirs.
1380s?: Inquest into the deaths
of John Wyllus and Robert Asshele. With
many others they were hauling a vessel up the weir with two cables, and were
killed through the lines parting and striking them so violently that their
heads were broken. A “landwynch” is
mentioned.
1881: George Leslie -
Locks are not very old institutions on the river, and old people by the river still speak of them as pound locks, as distinct from the old sluices up which the barges were formerly drawn by means of windlasses. At Hambleden, behind the lock-house, are the remains of the old winch formerly used here; I was told that the lord of the manor regularly applies for the “hire of the winch” from the lock-keeper, to keep alive an old claim on the Thames Conservancy, though the money is never paid.
1580: Weir held by the Scrope family
1746: Griffiths mentions Hambleden
1773: Poundlock built
1774: “A small wooden house” provided for the keeper.
1777: Caleb Gould appointed as keeper.
1814: The lock dilapidated; the upper gates had to be opened with tackle
on account of the leaky state of the lower gates.
1825: New barge channel
excavated below lock.
Fred Thacker says:
“I gather the navigation formerly led along the left bank approaching the weir,
towing from the right bank, so that the line swept the island;
a not infrequent circumstance”.
1825: The city Shallop shot the weir, the lock being under extensive repair.
1836: Caleb Gould died at the age of 92. His epitaph, in Remenham
Churchyard, is quoted by many river writers:
This world’s a jest,
And all things show it;
I thought so once,
And now I know it.
[ Every river guide quotes this, all 495 of them. Indeed it is a condition
of membership of the Union of Thames Writers that it shall always be quoted. ]
However Fred Thacker quotes his
wife’s epitaph as something more human and more pious -
Lo! Where this silent stone now weeps
A friend & Wife & Mother sleeps
A heart within whose sacred cell
The peaceful virtues loved to dwell
Affection warmth & faith sincere
And soft humanity were there.
[ I can only think which one I would
have preferred – and to be fair to Caleb – it was of course his wife’s that he
chose – his own was maybe decided by someone else. ]
1881: George Leslie -
Miss Stapleton, of Remenham Hill, to whom I am indebted for many interesting stories about this part of the river, told me of an old man who was once lock-keeper at Hambleden, named Caleb Gould. … When he came to Hambleden the barges were pulled up by the winch. Caleb, and his son Joseph who succeeded him, had a large oven at the back of the lock-house, and sold bread to the bargemen and others. When Miss Stapleton knew them, the son worked the new pound lock, while the old man used to sit and sun himself underneath a large lavendar bush, descendants of which still grow in the lock garden. Caleb wore a coat with lots of buttons, and ate for his supper every night a dish of onion porridge. He was hale and hearty to the very last, every day taking a walk up Hambleden, making a great cross in the ground to mark where he had been – which crosses were known as Caleb’s crosses. Joseph Gould in after life emigrated with his family to New Zealand, where they have thrived well. On the bricks by the side of the lock cottage door, are the initials C. G., 1777, and below, J. G., 1826. The oven at the back of the house has lately been pulled down
1860s?: Lock near Henley by William W Gosling, 1824-1883 -
Lock near Henley, William W Gosling, 1824-1883
1865: Lock in imminent danger of collapse -
Hambleden Lock was being repaired, and no boats or barges would be able to pass thro’ for a week at least; here we had in the rain to drag our boat thro’ the wet grass to the lower end of the lock, getting wet through.
1870: Lock entirely rebuilt, George Leslie –
Hambleden Lock has lately been repaired, and not before it wanted it, as the old lock leaked so much that it took a very long time to fill.
1870: Hambleden Mill, Henry Taunt -
Hambleden Mill, Henry Taunt, 1870
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT01498
1875: Hambleden Lock, Henry Taunt -
Hambleden Lock, Henry Taunt, 1875
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT3555
1878: Breakwater below Lock built
1884: Boatslide suggested.
1889: Boatslide in existence? Fred Thacker had no knowledge
of it in 1920
1906: Mortimer Menpes, Hambleden -
Mortimer Menpes, Hambleden, 1906
1886: Hambleden Lock by J. Ashby-Sterry Listen to 'Hambleden Lock' -
A CAPITAL luncheon I’ve had at the “Lion”,
I’ve drifted down here with the light Summer breeze;
I land at the bank, where the turf’s brown and dry on,
And lazily list to the music of trees !
O, sweet is the air, with a perfume of clover,
O, sleepy the cattle in Remenham meads !
The lull of the lasher is soothing, moreover,
The wind whistles low in the stream-stricken reeds !
With sail closely furled, and a weed incandescent -
Made fast to a post is the swift Shuttlecock –
I think you will own ‘tis uncommonly pleasant
To dream and do nothing by Hambleden Lock !
See a barge blunder through, overbearing and shabby,
With its captain asleep, and his wife in command;
Then a boatful of beauties for Medmenham Abbey,
And a cargo of campers all tired and tanned.
Two duffers collide, they don’t know what they’re doing –
They’re both in the ways of the water unskilled –
But here is the Infant, so great at canoeing,
Sweet, saucy, short-skirted, and snowily frilled.
I notice the tint of a ribbon or feather,
The ripple of ruffle, the fashion of frock;
I languidly laze in the sweet Summer weather,
And muse o’er the maidens by Hambleden Lock !
What value they give to the bright panorama –
O, had I the pencil of Millais or Sandys ! –
The lasses with sunshades from far Yokohama,
The pretty girl-scullers with pretty brown hands !
Next the Syren steams in; see the kind-eyed old colley,
On the deck, in the sun, how he loves to recline !
Note the well – ordered craft and its skipper so jolly,
With friends, down to Marlow, he’s taking to dine.
In the snug-curtained cabin, I can’t help espying
A dew-clouded tankard of seltzer-and-hock,
And a plateful of peaches big babies are trying,
I note, as they glide out of Hambleden Lock !
A punt passes in, with Waltonians laden,
And boatmen rugose of mahogany hue;
And then comes a youth and a sunny-haired maiden
Who sit vis-à-vis in their bass-wood canoe.
Now look at the Admiral steering the Fairy,
O, where could he find a much better crew than
His dutiful daughters, Flo, Nina, and Mary,
Who row with such grace in his trim built randan?
I muse while the water is ebbing and flowing,
I silently smoke and serenely take stock
Of countless Thames toilers, now coming, now going,
Who take a pink ticket at Hambleden Lock !
[ It would be nice if W H Smith, First Lord of the
Admiralty, had daughters Flo, Nina and Mary – but unfortunately not, his
daughters were Mabel, Emily Anna,
Beatrice and Helen. (See Greenlands,
below) However Ashby-Sterry dedicated his book of Poems - "The Lazy Minstrel" to Mary, Nina and Florence.
The pink ticket was the lock ticket sold at each
lock – for pleasure boats it was valid for a return on the same day ] -
1891: The Stream of Pleasure, Joseph & Elizabeth Robins Pennell -
While the water ran out, the lock-keeper came and gave us that curious literary production, a Thames Lock Ticket. It admits you "through, by, or over the lock or weir" for threepence. That is, I suppose, you can go through the lock in Christian fashion, drown under the weir, push and pull over the roller if there is one, or drag your boat round by the shore; but whether you come out dead or alive, for any of these privileges the Thames Conservancy will have its threepence.
[ One of Joseph Ashby-Sterry's bon mots was the pun -
Whether bankrupt or not you are still bound to pay threepence in the pound! ]
1946: Hambleden Weir by Frank Runacres -
Hambleden Weir, 1946, Frank Runacres
1950: Hambleden Lock in 'Buckinghamshire' by Alison Uttley -
The river, which makes a deep and sudden bend at this point,
can be crossed by a long slender footbridge which twists and
turns on its way from Hambleden to the Berkshire bank. Near
this bank is the lock and the lock-keeper's cottage.
The cottage, with its little garden and lawn, seems to be on an island cut off
from the world amidst this stretch of water. Leaning on the
little bridge opposite the cottage was a comely woman who was
the lock-keeper's wife. We joined her and loitered there, gazing
at the water, watching the three swans which dabbled on the
rippling steps of the sluice.
The sound of the cascading water was
like that of Aira Force in Westmorland. It rang continuously in
our ears.
"I can't sleep when I'm away from it. I miss the noise of
falling water," she told us.
I asked about the flowers which grow in the shallows.
One year, when the Thames was very low and no water flowed
down these "steps," many flowers sprang up there. Seeds were
carried by the waters and left to flower in that dry season. Even
on that day there were water forget-me-nots and loose-strife
and water mints growing on the stones with the water flowing
over them.
The river has a canal cut in it here so that boats can go
through the reaches by the locks without going through the
waterfalls by the mill. In old days, I was told, they had to carry
the boats at this point and of course no large boats could come up
the river. The lock was clean and fresh as paint. It seemed as if
it were loved and the lock-keeper's cottage was a charming toy
with its garden and hedge and little gate, and its vision of old
china through the open door. Everything was trim and well kept.
Another day I watched motor-launches going through the
lock and the little families on board helped the lock-keeper at
his work. It was fascinating to see the water slowly enter and
the boat rise, and several people leaned against the wall to share
the quiet entertainment.
I went to Hambleden once after a great storm. There was a
spate of brown foaming water which rushed down the wide
sluices with a roar that was deafening. It churned itself with
terrifying force below us as we stood on the bridge. Giant
balsam and feathery rushes waved their long streamers and tawny
flowers in the wind. The swans in the river and the cygnets
actually walked up the stones against the strong Row of water,
planting each foot slowly and firmly, but when they reached the
top they swam away waving their little tails in pride that they
had arrived safely. It was obviously a feat of strength and
endurance and each bird showed intense satisfaction on conquering the difficulty.
2000: Lock rebuilt -
The
reconstruction of Hambleden Lock was necessary to alleviate one of the river's
bottlenecks by increasing the lock's size and because the existing 120 year old
lock structure was in need of major structural repair.
In order
to construct the new lock structure a
temporary
cofferdam had to be installed around the existing lock. During the
first contract period sheet piles were driven on either side of the lock. The
cofferdam was completed a year later, during the second contract period, when
the piles were installed across the head and tail of the lock.
To
ensure that there were no props below ground level to interfere with the lock
construction works 14m long Larssen(6) piles were selected.
The piles' strength meant that they were only
required to be propped at the top. The
initial piles were installed within 4m of the existing lock walls and the
proximity of the lock house to the works necessitated use of a pile driving
method that minimised noise and vibration. To this end a hydraulic pile
pressing system was employed.
The
system was so successful at driving the 14m long piles through 13m of clay and
chalk that the lock was reopened 3 weeks ahead of schedule. In difficult ground
a water jetting lance was fitted to the piles to assist penetration. The noise
levels generated by this pile driving system were less than the background
noise of the weir. The system was also employed to extract the piles with up to
44 being extracted in one day.
2004:-
Hambleden Lock, 2004
1829: Just above Hambleden Lock was the start of the first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
1881: George Leslie -
Behind
Hambleden Lock, in the waters leading to the mill, Mr Schwabe’s boat-house, and
little fleet of sailing-cutters may be seen;
the boatman’s cottage adjoining was formerly a small inn, and many a
draught of shandy-gaff I have had beneath the little arbour; when this place was shut up some years ago
there was great indignation amongst the local population, and the poisoning of
a vast quantity of pheasants in the preserves belonging to Greenlands, was
supposed by many to have been an act of revenge by some aggrieved parties.
The
punting is not good about here until Temple Island is reached; the tow-path side, of course, is the shortest
course to take, but the ground is much better on the other side up as far as
Greenlands.
From here on upstream watch out (behind you!) for racing rowing craft. Keep well clear and be careful not to obstruct them.
Upstream to Hambleden Mill
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS