Sunbury Lock

Sunbury Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England near Walton-on-Thames in north-west Surrey. The lock adjoins the southern bank about half a mile downstream of the Weir Hotel.There are in fact two locks, which are some distance downstream of the original lock built in 1812. The older hand-operated one was originally built in 1856, but is now seldom used. The newer one was opened in 1927 by Lord Desborough. There is also a slide for the portage of small boats. The lock adjoins Sunbury Lock Ait.There is more than one weir at Sunbury lock and these are some distance from the lock. The main weir is between Sunbury Lock Ait and Wheatley's Ait, which causes a strong stream in the backwater behind. There is a further weir at the upstream end of Wheatley's Ait. There is a footbridge linking the islands, but this is not open to the public.HistoryThe earliest weir was built in 1789 specifically to divert water to create a deeper channel for navigation. There were several other such weirs locally because of many shoals and flats in the Sunbury area while the river was still tidal here. The first plan for a lock was in 1805 with an ambitious lock cut. A modified scheme in 1809 resulted in the first lock, which was built several hundred yards upstream of the present locks close to the bridge and the original lock house of the same year. The lock cut was created out of an existing channel beside the island and the lock was opened in 1812 The lock had become dilapidated by 1852 and the arrival of water companies planning major water extraction from the section of the river below the lock added an incentive for rebuilding it. It was relocated to its present position with a new lock house and opened in 1856. In 1927 a second lock was added at Sunbury, which was opened by Lord Desborough, then president of the Thames Conservancy.