Bow Locks

Bow Locks
Bow Locks, with Bow Creek, beyond, at low tide. Limehouse Cut begins to the right of the locks.
Map
51°31′23″N 0°00′29″W / 51.523°N 0.0081°W / 51.523; -0.0081
WaterwayRiver Lee Navigation
CountyTower Hamlets
Greater London
Maintained byCanal & River Trust
OperationMechanical
First built1850
Latest built1930
Length95 feet (29.0 m)
Width19 feet 6 inches (5.94 m)
Falltidal
Distance to
Hertford Castle Weir
28 miles (45.1 km)

Bow Locks No. 20 (grid reference TQ383824) is a set of bi-directional locks in Bromley-by-Bow in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Newham. The locks link the tidal Bow Creek to the River Lee Navigation, which is a canalised river. These locks were first built in 1850 and then rebuilt in 1930, at the same time as the Prescott Channel was cut nearby. At high tide, the tide from Bow Creek formerly flowed through Bow Locks, to raise the level of the canals, such as the Limehouse Cut. In 2000, these locks were modified to keep the tide out, to reduce silting in the canal system.