Dorset and Somerset Canal
Videos
The Dorset and Somerset Canal was a proposed canal in southwestern England. The main line was intended to link Poole, Dorset with the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. A branch w
The north face of Murtry aqueduct
Balance lock
Videos
The balance lock was a type of boat lift designed by James Fussell to transport boats up and down a hillside on a canal. An experimental balance lock was built as part of the Dorset and Somerset Canal
Dorset and Somerset Canal
…length. The idea of using vertical boat lifts was proposed by James Fussell, owner of the nearby Mells ironworks, and his particular design, known as a balance lock, was patented in 1798. It consisted of two tanks, joined by chains which passed over large wheels. Boats entered one or both of the caissons, which…
The remains of James Fussell's balance lock on the Dorset and Somerset Canal, excavated in 2005