Eastham Locks

There are three locks at Eastham with the smallest one on the northern side and the largest on the south. Between the large lock and the southern bank of the canal are the two sluices.

The locks here control the base water level of the canal and were generally operated between four hours before and four hours after high water. The gates are generally left open at high tide to allow the river to run into the canal, and at certain times ships may sail straight through the locks without having to wait for the water level to be adjusted.

The three locks are sized at 600 ft x 80 ft,  350 ft x 65 ft and 150 ft x 30 ft.   The smallest lock, intended only for barge traffic, has not been used for many years.

The locks are built on a foundation of solid sandstone rock with concrete on top.   The lock walls  are of concrete construction and are lined above water level  with brick and a blue facing brick finish. All  fender courses, copings and corners of the gate chambers are of dressed cornish granite.

The gates themselves are built of greenheart wood - a wood so heavy that it sinks in water and which is so indestructible it is considered superior to steel, with the various sections of the gates being tied together with iron plates and bolts.

The gates are constructed to move on rollers for ease of opening and are operated by hydraulic rams attached to chains,  the rams and cylinders being fixed in chambers within the lock walls.

Water enters the locks by means of sluices positioned in tunnels within the lock walls, each inlet sluice haveing four openings in order to spread the flow and  avoid currents within the lock.

Situated on the Cheshire side of the canal,  immediately adjacent to Eastham locks,  is the  queen_elizabeth_ii_dock.htm oil dock, entered by it's own lock  from the River Mersey.

Also situated on the western side of the canal is a small, white, glassed building, this is the radio room which all vessels must contact in order to obtain permission to enter the canal.

In general ships will leave the canal during the four hours before high tide, whilst those entering will do so in the four hours after high water, taking approximately seven hours to reach the upper reaches of the canal.  For the canal transit all vessels, except small pleasure craft, are required to carry a qualified pilot, this may be the master provided that he carries a suitable certificate or a pilot may be engaged at Eastham.

Just a few hundred yards into the canal lies a small quay with a large crane, this is the masting_crane.htm

Approaching the locks at Eastham, outbound. The large lock is directly ahead and

the tug MSC Viking can be seen moored in the entrance to the now unused barge

lock at the right of the picture. Other tugs including Viceroy and Volant are moored to

the left of the locks. The Queen Elizabeth oil dock is off to the left of the photograph

and the buildings of Liverpool can be seen to the right of MSC Viking.

Stolt Dipper facing upstream with Eastham locks in the background - 4th August 2002.