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Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation S P R I N G F I E L D L O C K Lock number: 1 Height: 3 ft 9 ins
Information copyright Chelmer Canal Trust Ltd, reproduced with kind permission
"Springfield Lock is the first on the navigation. The lock chamber was built to accommodate barges 60ft (18.3m) long, 16ft (4.87m) wide and 2ft (0.6m) in draught. The fall in level here between the upper and lower gates measures 3ft 9ins (1.14m) and is one of the smallest on the navigation: at Hoe Mill Lock, Ulting, the fall is 8ft 3ins (2.5m). The lock is emptied and filled through trap doors (paddles) cut into the bottom of the gates. The cog and rachet mechanism attached to the balance beams raises and lowers the paddles. The balance beam and gates were made from locally grown oak and elm. when commercial traffic stopped on the canal in the early 1970's, this lock fell into disrepair and Springfield Cut and Basin silted up until 1993 when the Chelmsford Branch of the Inland Waterways Association, with the help of various other agencies, restored the lock and dredged the Cut and Basin. In 1997 the Chelmer Canal Trust organised a boating rally at Springfield Basin to commemorate the navigation's 200th birthday. The basin can be used as a berth for visiting boats and a starting point for a pleasant day's exploration of the waterway either afloat or on foot along the towpath which is a public right of way. Below the lock is an historic bridge designed by John Rennie, the celebrated 19th century canal builder. further downstream the canal joins the River Chelmer proper and passes under the 1932 concrete bridge which carries Chelmsford's first bypass. The large bulk of the 18th century Moulsham Mill, now used as an arts and craft centre, stands imposingly to the south."
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Springfield Lock , the Springfield Basin in the distance, and to the right new development with a private marina entered via the lift bridge.
Downstream of Springfield Lock, the junction of the River Chelmer and the canal and the A138 bridge in the distance. PHOTOGRAPHY from www.aerialcloseup.co.uk We will be adding pictures over the coming months - please check back regularly. Pictures are linked from the mileage charts on the maps. All pictures are copyright Aerial Close-Up Limited and may not be reproduced without permission. Copies will be be available soon in high quality, framed photographic prints and water colour prints.
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