麻豆社

Make your way under the old railway bridge which goes over the East Channel of the River Severn and continue a short distance until you find yourself between the walls of the old disused lock.

This old lock - known as Llanthony Lock - was built in 1871, and was needed to allow boats passing up and down the River Severn to avoid the new weir just south of here. The weir was constructed to ensure that there would always be a minimum depth of six feet of water in the river above Gloucester.

It remained in use until 1924 when the incredibly high walls of the lock (required to cope with the flood level) began to move inwards towards each other.

The old lock keeper's cottage

Engineers prevented the walls from collapsing by inserting baulks of timber across the lock but a proper repair was considered too expensive and the lock was never used again. Don't worry though, it's perfectly safe today - most of the lock has been filled in leaving just the very top of the old walls visible.

You can still see the old lock keeper's cottage here. It's now a private house. Bizarrely the route through the lock is still legally a right of waterway, and part of the Severn Navigation. Hopefully you won't see many boats trying to sail through it today!

Some vessels do, occasionally, still use the river. To do this they have to cross the weir on a high spring tide.

The old railway bridge over the River Severn

Turn round and walk a few paces to look out across the river and at the old railway bridge. This branch line of the railway was opened in 1854 and used to carry coal from the Forest of Dean to the docks ready to be exported, but it didn't actually carry much. It was used more for imports of sugar and timber.

The route of the old railway line heading back across Alney Island has been used recently as part of the new cycle track which, when complete, will link Gloucester with Maisemore, and beyond.

Retrace your steps back to the cycle track. This is the point where any wheelchair users or people with buggies can rejoin the main route.听 Continue under the new road bridge and follow the signs back to the start of the walk at Gloucester Docks where there are various bars and cafes ready to welcome any walker in need of a bit of refreshment!

麻豆社 Gloucestershire would like to thank the following people and organisations for their help in producing this walk: Hugh Conway-Jones; Chris Witts; Ian Elphick - Senior Countryside Ranger, Gloucester City Council; Alan McKay - local guide; Nigel Cox - Social History Access Officer, Gloucester Heritage and Museums Service; Gloucester Civic Trust; Cliff Penny - Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust.