Richmond Lock and Footbridge

Richmond Lock
Richmond Lock and Footbridge, viewed from near Isleworth, London
Map
51°27′44″N 0°19′02″W / 51.46222°N 0.31722°W / 51.46222; -0.31722
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameRichmond Footbridge, Lock and Sluices
Designated25 May 1983
Reference no.1250044
WaterwayRiver Thames
CountyGreater London
Maintained byPort of London Authority
First built1894
Length250 feet (76.2 m)
Width26 feet 8 inches (8.1 m)
FallHalf tide lock (10 feet (3 m))
Above sea level2 feet (0.61 m) (maximal low tide below lock) to greater than 20 feet (6.1 m) (usual maximal high tide above lock)
Richmond Lock
— the Richmond & Twickenham reach of the Tideway
River Thames: Kingston reach
Teddington Weir
Teddington Lock Footbridges
moorings
rollers
Skiff Lock
Launch Lock
Barge Lock
Obelisk marking PLA - EA powers' boundary
Ham Lake, Ham Lands
Swan Island, Twickenham
Eel Pie Island: footbridge
hard moorings for deep-draft ferries
Ham House and Gardens
Marble Hill House and Gardens
Glover's Island
Star and Garter mansion
and Richmond Hill, London
A305 Richmond Bridge
Skiff, gig moorings, raised pontoon
for deep vessels
Corporation Island
Richmond Railway Bridge
A316 Twickenham Bridge
Richmond Lock and Footbridge
N.B. barrage lifted near and at high tide
River Thames

Richmond Lock and Footbridge is a lock, rising and falling low-tide barrage integrating controlled sluices and pair of pedestrian bridges on the River Thames in southwest London, England, and is a Grade II* listed structure.[1] It is the furthest downstream of the forty-five Thames locks and the only one owned and operated by the Port of London Authority. It was opened in 1894 and is north-west of the centre of Richmond in a semi-urban part of southwest London. Downstream are Syon Park and Kew Gardens on opposite banks. It connects the promenade at Richmond with the neighbouring district of St. Margarets on the west bank during the day and is closed at night to pedestrians – after 19:30 GMT or after 21:30 when BST is in use. At high tide the sluice gates are raised and partly hidden behind metal arches forming twin footbridges.

It was built to maintain the lowest-lying head of water of the forty-five navigable reaches of the Thames above the rest of the Tideway. Below the structure for a few miles, at low tide, the navigable channel is narrow and restricts access for vessels with the greatest draft. The next major point of mooring below the lock is, accordingly, at Brentford Dock.

  1. ^ Historic England (25 May 1983). "Richmond Footbridge, Lock and Sluices (1250044)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 November 2008.