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The Great Britain Guide

Canal locks · South East England

Sonning Lock

Free admission

Sonning Lock — lock on River Thames.

Sonning Lock, canal locks in South East England

Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence

Plan your visit

Typical visit
20 min–45 min
Nearest railway station
Earley · 3.5 km
  • Free entry
  • Dog-friendly

About

Sonning Lock is a canal lock in the United Kingdom. Wikidata describes it as: "lock on River Thames". Coordinates: 51.4726°, -0.9187°.

Photo gallery

From the Wikipedia article

Sonning Lock is a lock and associated weir situated on the River Thames at the village of Sonning near Reading, Berkshire, England. The first lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1773 and it has been rebuilt three times since then. There is a weir a little upstream at the top of the island where Sonning Backwater separates from the main course of the river.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

A weir at Sonning is recorded as belonging to the Blunte family in the 15th century. This was associated with the mill and fisheries and mention is made of a "Locke-heise" at this time. The flash lock was replaced in 1773 by the pound lock. This was the highest upstream of the eight locks constructed after the Thames and Isis Navigation Act 1750 (24 Geo. 2. c. 8). It was commissioned in 1771 but took two years to build. Fir wood was originally used for these locks, but this decayed very quickly and was replaced at Sonning by oak in 1787. Repairs took place in 1827 when the old flash lock was brought back temporarily into use. By this time a lock house had been built. The lock-keeper from…

Visiting

The lock is a short walk upstream from Sonning Bridge, which itself is close to the centre of Sonning. It is also accessible via a short footpath between St Andrew's Church and the river. The path by the river continues into the town of Reading.

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
51.4726, -0.9187
District
Wokingham
Parish
Sonning
Postcode
RG4 6SU
Parliamentary constituency
Earley and Woodley
Nearest railway station
Earley3.5 km

Sources

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Sonning Lock?
Sonning Lock is in South East England, in the United Kingdom — coordinates 51.4726°, -0.9187°. The nearest railway station is Earley, around 3.5 km away.
Is Sonning Lock free to visit?
Yes — admission to Sonning Lock is free.