Mapledurham Lock

Mapledurham Lock
Mapledurham Lock on a fine August day
Waterway	River Thames
County	Berkshire
Maintained by	Environment Agency
Operation	Hydraulic
First built	1777[1]
Latest built	1908[2]
Length	61.69 m (202 ft 5 in) [3]
Width	6.42 m (21 ft 1 in)[3]
Fall	2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)[3]
Above sea level	127 ft (39 m)
Distance to Teddington Lock	59 miles

v t e Mapledurham Lock
Legend
River Thames weir River Pang Whitchurch Lock Whitchurch Mill Whitchurch Bridge island Mapledurham Lock and weir Mapledurham Mill River Thames

Mapledurham Lock is a lock and weir situated on the River Thames in England, about 4 miles upstream of Reading. The lock was first built in 1777 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners^[1] and the present lock dates from 1908.^[2]

Despite its name, the lock is located in the Berkshire village and civil parish of Purley-On-Thames on the south bank of the river, rather than in the Oxfordshire village of Mapledurham on the other side of the river. The lock is accessible from Purley village down Mapledurham Drive, a metalled lane that turns to gravel. The weir stretches across the river, in both counties.^[4]

The weir runs from the lock island in a long curve across the river between the two villages. However no access is possible across the weir, and without a boat, journeys between the two villages require a lengthy detour via Reading or Pangbourne. The weir still provides a head of water to drive Mapledurham Watermill which is on the opposite side of the river. The weir is also the furthest upstream on the Thames that has a salmon ladder.