Visitors take a close look at Five Rise Locks in Bingley (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Visitors take a close look at Five Rise Locks in Bingley
10:10am Monday 30th January 2012 in Bingley
By James Rush, T&A Reporter
Thousands of visitors flocked to the famous Five Rise Locks over the weekend to catch a rare glimpse of the 18th century structure.
British Waterways engineers opened up the Grade I listed lock after draining it for maintenance, revealing the bottom of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the 23ft brick walls that line it.
Throughout the weekend 7,000 visitors queued up to be taken into the lock.
Peter Carter, heritage construction supervisor for British Waterways, said: “Me and my little team of eight guys are changing all the top four sets of gates in this lock and the decision was made that while we have it empty it would be a really good chance for people to see what they wouldn’t get a chance to see otherwise.”
The work, replacing four of the six gates on the structure to improve safety, is expected to cost £250,000 and take four weeks to complete.
Mr Carter said: “These locks were built in the 1760s and all they had then was harness ropes, ‘A’ frames, blocks and tackles and muscle power – it’s an incredible feat of engineering.”
Some 3,488 people visited the on Saturday with a 3,660 on Sunday, meaning 7,148 people visited over two days.
Mr Carter said: “As far as I’m aware it is the only set of five rise locks in the country.
“It is a Grade I-listed structure and next to the World Heritage Site of Saltaire – it is an iconic local landmark.”
The lock gates have been in place for 25 years. They will be replaced by oak gates made at Stanley Ferry Workshop in Wakefield – one of only two lock gate workshops in the country.
The water has been kept out of the lock chamber while the gates were removed using stop planks to form a water-tight seal. This enabled the team to carry out repairs to the brickwork, using traditional lime mortar.
Mel Cook, 73, a former managing director of Fairbank Brearley, originally in Bingley before the company moved to Keighley, travelled from Emley with his friend John Berry, 75, to visit the site.
Mr Cook said: “Having visited it so many times, to be able this time to walk down inside it, look at the gates and look at the construction, it’s very impressive.” Bingley Five Rise Locks were built by John Longbotham and are one of the major land-marks of the national water-way network. When completed in 1774, thousands gathered to watch boats make the 60ft descent, which can 90 minutes.
Comments(21)
giveme strength
says...
12:04pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
12:13pm Mon 30 Jan 12
giveme strength wrote:7k in a weekend, I bet the City Park won't get that in a month.
Was nice to see so many people out in the fresh air
BD16
says...
12:28pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Avro wrote:Exactly what we were saying.
7,000 is a good turnout, though it might have been an idea for British Waterways to have charged a token gesture of £1 each for the privilege, and the proceeds gone towards gate replacement.
Jayteebee
says...
12:38pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Well worth the hour queue to have a close up look at something as rare as that.
Well done to everyone involved.
mr-dog
says...
2:16pm Mon 30 Jan 12
angry bradfordian
says...
3:05pm Mon 30 Jan 12
I know it isn't actually a council event, but this is the sort of thing that the council could use to attract people to the city, rather than having a large bhaji competition.
Farsley Bantam
says...
3:29pm Mon 30 Jan 12
angry bradfordian wrote:It was featured on Look North on Friday evening
There'd have been 7,002 if we'd have known about it. I didn't know anything about it until I read this article. I know it isn't actually a council event, but this is the sort of thing that the council could use to attract people to the city, rather than having a large bhaji competition.
bctomuk
says...
3:37pm Mon 30 Jan 12
I would have loved to have come and seen inside the locks.
I have loved visiting the locks ever since I was a little boy, getting ice creams from the house at the top.
I am so annoyed that I knew nothing about this and I have missed the opportunity!
angry bradfordian
says...
4:06pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Farsley Bantam wrote:My point was mainly about the lack of coverage from the T&A who seem desperate to tell us every smallest detail about City Park, but don't bother when something significant and never to be repeated occurs at a real tourist attraction we can be proud of.
angry bradfordian wrote:It was featured on Look North on Friday evening
There'd have been 7,002 if we'd have known about it. I didn't know anything about it until I read this article. I know it isn't actually a council event, but this is the sort of thing that the council could use to attract people to the city, rather than having a large bhaji competition.
Damian Holmes
says...
4:38pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Joedavid
says...
5:08pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Damian Holmes wrote:Maybe, but was it here on the web site?
Just to set the record straight, the T&A carried a two page spread on the work at the locks, talking about the open weekend, on 10 January. There was a page lead story about it on Wednesday 25 January, again with a good mention for the open weekend. There was also a picture and a mention on Saturday 21 January. And there was a picture story with a reminder in Saturday 28 January T&A.
Most people just read the T&A via this web site.
Joedavid
says...
5:08pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Damian Holmes wrote:Maybe, but was it here on the web site?
Just to set the record straight, the T&A carried a two page spread on the work at the locks, talking about the open weekend, on 10 January. There was a page lead story about it on Wednesday 25 January, again with a good mention for the open weekend. There was also a picture and a mention on Saturday 21 January. And there was a picture story with a reminder in Saturday 28 January T&A.
Most people just read the T&A via this web site.
jerrygarcia
says...
5:26pm Mon 30 Jan 12
angry bradfordian wrote:If you didn't waste your time and energy being angry all the time you might notice what's going on mate.
There'd have been 7,002 if we'd have known about it. I didn't know anything about it until I read this article.
I know it isn't actually a council event, but this is the sort of thing that the council could use to attract people to the city, rather than having a large bhaji competition.
bctomuk
says...
5:46pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Joedavid wrote:Good point Joedavid. I have the T&A website saved as my home page and I have not seen any mention of an open day!
Damian Holmes wrote: Just to set the record straight, the T&A carried a two page spread on the work at the locks, talking about the open weekend, on 10 January. There was a page lead story about it on Wednesday 25 January, again with a good mention for the open weekend. There was also a picture and a mention on Saturday 21 January. And there was a picture story with a reminder in Saturday 28 January T&A.Maybe, but was it here on the web site? Most people just read the T&A via this web site.
Damian Holmes
says...
6:38pm Mon 30 Jan 12
bctomuk wrote:http://www.thetelegr
Joedavid wrote:Good point Joedavid. I have the T&A website saved as my home page and I have not seen any mention of an open day!
Damian Holmes wrote: Just to set the record straight, the T&A carried a two page spread on the work at the locks, talking about the open weekend, on 10 January. There was a page lead story about it on Wednesday 25 January, again with a good mention for the open weekend. There was also a picture and a mention on Saturday 21 January. And there was a picture story with a reminder in Saturday 28 January T&A.Maybe, but was it here on the web site? Most people just read the T&A via this web site.
aphandargus.co.uk/ne
ws/local/district/di
strict_bingley/distr
ict_bing_crossflatts
/9461131.Five_Rise_L
ocks_wonders_reveale
d_in_renovations/
BigFigure
says...
6:39pm Mon 30 Jan 12
http://www.thetelegr
aphandargus.co.uk/ne
ws/local/district/di
strict_bingley/distr
ict_bing_crossflatts
/9461131.Five_Rise_L
ocks_wonders_reveale
d_in_renovations/
Damian Holmes
says...
6:42pm Mon 30 Jan 12
BigFigure
says...
6:45pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Joedavid wrote:Why should the T and A put everything online....it's not a charity, after all
Damian Holmes wrote:Maybe, but was it here on the web site?
Just to set the record straight, the T&A carried a two page spread on the work at the locks, talking about the open weekend, on 10 January. There was a page lead story about it on Wednesday 25 January, again with a good mention for the open weekend. There was also a picture and a mention on Saturday 21 January. And there was a picture story with a reminder in Saturday 28 January T&A.
Most people just read the T&A via this web site.
dorcas3
says...
9:48pm Mon 30 Jan 12
Damian Holmes wrote:The T&A website is how I found out about it. I didn't realise there'd been so much coverage in the paper itself.
bctomuk wrote:http://www.thetelegr
Joedavid wrote:Good point Joedavid. I have the T&A website saved as my home page and I have not seen any mention of an open day!
Damian Holmes wrote: Just to set the record straight, the T&A carried a two page spread on the work at the locks, talking about the open weekend, on 10 January. There was a page lead story about it on Wednesday 25 January, again with a good mention for the open weekend. There was also a picture and a mention on Saturday 21 January. And there was a picture story with a reminder in Saturday 28 January T&A.Maybe, but was it here on the web site? Most people just read the T&A via this web site.
aphandargus.co.uk/ne
ws/local/district/di
strict_bingley/distr
ict_bing_crossflatts
/9461131.Five_Rise_L
ocks_wonders_reveale
d_in_renovations/
I also believe it was featured on BBC Breakfast News (or News 24 - not sure which) on Saturday morning.
wobbley-bob
says...
8:06am Tue 31 Jan 12
Some people are never happy unless they're moaning & belly aching about something. angry bradfordian?, more like blind bradfordian.
PS, it was the Asians that did it. They hid all references to the event.
Avro says...
11:46am Mon 30 Jan 12