Rare chance to see inside 200-year-old drained lock

More than £60,000 is being spent on the Grindley Brook lock, near Whitchurch, and the Canal and River Trust is marking the work with family-friendly open days on March 3 and 4.

The showcase at lock five on the Llangollen Canal is one of a series of 10 public open days being held across England and Wales by the trust this winter.

Visitors will have the rare opportunity to walk along the bottom of the original 200-year-old drained lock, seeing up close one of the finest examples of working heritage in the world.

They can also experience a “virtual hub” – a place to plug in and watch a virtual reality video of some of the trust’s more unusual and awe-inspiring locations.

Fishing taster sessions will also be on offer for visitors throughout the weekend.

The works to the lock flight will cost the charity nearly £63,000 and are being undertaken by the trust’s craftsmen and water management team.

They are part of the Canal & River Trust’s £38 million, five-month programme of repairs to England and Wales’s waterways between November 2017 and March 2018.

Wynn Evans, trust supervisor, said the work would keep some of the most well used locks in the country working smoothly for visitors.

He said: “We are repairing the top and bottom lock gates with new oak liners and renovating the brickwork and ground paddles.

“These are some of the busiest locks in the country and over 6,000 boats travelled through them last year. These repair works will ensure the thousands of boats who go through it every year can continue to do so.”

The works are expected to finish on March 16.

Mr Evans that apprentices would also be taking the opportunity to learn from those doing the work.

He said: “Repairing these lock gates is really important work that will let the local canal network continue to be used by boaters, cyclists, anglers and walkers.

“We are opening up the site to visitors on March 3 and 4 to showcase the fantastic work the trust does, providing a unique and rare opportunity for visitors to see below the water level.

“Our historic waterways are still working as they were designed to 200 years ago and we work year-round to keep them open and safe for everyone to enjoy, this requires a huge amount of planning, investment and expertise - from civil engineers and hydrologists to heritage experts and ecologists.

“We’re also investing in local training for apprentices to ensure these skills can be passed on.”

Visitors to the open days are being advised to wear sensible footwear and children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult to go into the locks.

The trust has also said that the lock chambers are not suitable for wheelchairs.