1.
River Thames
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The River Thames is a river that flows through southern England, most notably through London. At 215 miles, it is the longest river entirely in England and it also flows through Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor. The lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway, derived from its tidal reach up to Teddington Lock. It rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, and flows into the North Sea via the Thames Estuary, the Thames drains the whole of Greater London. Its tidal section, reaching up to Teddington Lock, includes most of its London stretch and has a rise, in Scotland, the Tay achieves more than double the average discharge from a drainage basin that is 60% smaller. Along its course are 45 navigation locks with accompanying weirs and its catchment area covers a large part of South Eastern and a small part of Western England and the river is fed by 38 named tributaries. The river contains over 80 islands, in 2010, the Thames won the largest environmental award in the world – the $350,000 International Riverprize. The Thames, from Middle English Temese, is derived from the Brittonic Celtic name for the river, Tamesas, recorded in Latin as Tamesis and yielding modern Welsh Tafwys Thames. It has also suggested that it is not of Celtic origin. A place by the river, rather than the river itself, indirect evidence for the antiquity of the name Thames is provided by a Roman potsherd found at Oxford, bearing the inscription Tamesubugus fecit. It is believed that Tamesubugus name was derived from that of the river, tamese was referred to as a place, not a river in the Ravenna Cosmography. The rivers name has always pronounced with a simple t /t/, the Middle English spelling was typically Temese. A similar spelling from 1210, Tamisiam, is found in the Magna Carta, the Thames through Oxford is sometimes called the Isis. Ordnance Survey maps still label the Thames as River Thames or Isis down to Dorchester, richard Coates suggests that while the river was as a whole called the Thames, part of it, where it was too wide to ford, was called *lowonida. An alternative, and simpler proposal, is that London may also be a Germanic word, for merchant seamen, the Thames has long been just the London River. Londoners often refer to it simply as the river in such as south of the river. Thames Valley Police is a body that takes its name from the river. The marks of human activity, in cases dating back to Pre-Roman Britain, are visible at various points along the river
2.
Greater London
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London, or Greater London, is a region of England which forms the administrative boundaries of London. It is organised into 33 local government districts, the 32 London boroughs, the Greater London Authority, based in Southwark, is responsible for strategic local government across the region and consists of the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. The county of Greater London was created on 1 April 1965 through the London Government Act 1963, administratively, Greater London was first established as a sui generis council area under the Greater London Council between 1963 and 1986. The area was re-established as a region in 1994, and the Greater London Authority formed in 2000, the region covers 1,572 km2 and had a population of 8,174,000 at the 2011 census. In 2012, it had the highest GVA per capita in the United Kingdom at £37,232, the Greater London Built-up Area—used in some national statistics—is a measure of the continuous urban area of London, and therefore includes areas outside of the administrative region. The term Greater London has been and still is used to different areas in governance, statistics, history. In terms of ceremonial counties, London is divided into the small City of London, outside the limited boundaries of the City, a variety of arrangements has governed the wider area since 1855, culminating in the creation of the Greater London administrative area in 1965. The Greater London Arterial Road Programme was devised between 1913 and 1916, one of the larger early forms was the Greater London Planning Region, devised in 1927, which occupied 1,856 square miles and included 9 million people. The LCC pressed for an alteration in its boundaries soon after the end of the First World War, noting that within the Metropolitan, a Royal Commission on London Government was set up to consider the issue. The LCC proposed a vast new area for Greater London, with a boundary somewhere between the Metropolitan Police District and the home counties, protests were made at the possibility of including Windsor, Slough and Eton in the authority. The Commission made its report in 1923, rejecting the LCCs scheme, two minority reports favoured change beyond the amalgamation of smaller urban districts, including both smaller borough councils and a central authority for strategic functions. The London Traffic Act 1924 was a result of the Commission, Greater London originally had a two-tier system of local government, with the Greater London Council sharing power with the City of London Corporation and the 32 London Borough councils. The GLC was abolished in 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 and its functions were devolved to the City Corporation and the London Boroughs, with some functions transferred to central government and joint boards. Greater London was used to form the London region of England in 1994, a referendum held in 1998 established a public will to recreate an upper tier of government to cover the region. The Greater London Authority, London Assembly and the directly elected Mayor of London were created in 2000 by the Greater London Authority Act 1999, in 2000, the outer boundary of the Metropolitan Police District was re-aligned to the Greater London boundary. The 2000 and 2004 mayoral elections were won by Ken Livingstone, the 2008 and 2012 elections were won by Boris Johnson. The 2016 election was won by Sadiq Khan, Greater London continues to include the most closely associated parts of the Greater London Urban Area and their historic buffers. Thus it includes, in five boroughs, significant parts of the Metropolitan Green Belt which protects designated greenfield land in a way to the citys parks
3.
Molesey Lock
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Molesey Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England at East Molesey, Surrey. It is located close to Hampton Court Palace in southwest London, the lock was built by the City of London Corporation in 1815 and is the second longest on the river at 81.78 m. Beside the lock there are rollers for the portage of small boats, on the other side of the large weir sits Ash Island, with a backwater behind it continuing to a smaller weir upstream. The locks proximity to Hampton Court and easy access made it a venue for spectators in the Victorian era. A lock was first proposed in 1802 because of the shallows upstream at Kenton Hedge and Sundbury Flatts above, in 1809 the proposal was resubmitted and the Act for the construction of Molesey Lock was passed by Parliament in 1812. Building began in 1814 and it opened in 1815 with an Italianate lockhouse, the first lock keeper was killed in a horse race at Moulsey Hurst and his successor discharged after incidents of pilfering from barges. In 1853 some changes were made to the lock in anticipation of lower water levels caused by the extraction of water upstream, fish ladders were added to the weir in 1864 and the boat slide built in 1871. Such was the popularity of boating in these days that in 1877 a boat, the lock was rebuilt in 1906. On the small island is a plaque commemorating Michael J Bulleid whose work for salmon conservancy has allowed these fish to travel up the river. The lock is about 100 yards upstream of Hampton Court Bridge on the South side and it is immediately accessible from the main Hurst Road/Riverbank and is only a short way from Hampton Court railway station. After the lock cut is Taggs Island which provides mooring for houseboats some of which are three storeys high, on the Surrey bank here is the Eights Tree an original sculpture outside Molesey Boat Club. The Middlesex bank has interesting features like the Swiss Cottage and the Astoria Houseboat, garricks Ait is another island which is also residential, just by the Hampton Ferry, which runs in the summer between Hampton and Moulsey Hurst on the Surrey bank. Close to Hampton is Benns Island which is covered by Hampton Sailing Clubs building and mooring. Upstream of this is the island of Platts Eyot, where Motor Torpedo Boats were built during World War II. At Platts Eyot on the Middlesex bank are the Hampton Water Treatment Works and reservoirs, then there is Grand Junction Isle with a few chalets on it and riverside houses at Sunbury and Sunbury Court Island. Upstream of these is Rivermead Island an expanse of open space. On the Surrey bank is the stretch of open ground at Moulsey Hurst. Beyond the Eyot on the Surrey bank are the Molesey Reservoirs behind trees and high brick walls, the area around the weir pool is used for kayaking from the weir and the Creek backwater runs behind Wheatleys Ait where the River Ash joins the Thames
4.
Hampton Court Bridge
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Hampton Court Bridge crosses the River Thames in England approximately north–south between Hampton, London and East Molesey, Surrey. It is the upper of two bridges on the reach above Teddington Lock and downstream of Molesey Lock. The bridge is the most upstream crossing of all of the Thames bridges of Greater London, ferry The location of the bridge had been a ferry crossing point since at least the Tudor period. First bridge The first bridge was built from 1752 until 1753 and opened in December that year, after a 1750 parliamentary bill agreed on the construction of a privately owned bridge by James Clarke. It had seven arches and was built in the Chinoiserie design of the Willow pattern that was popular at the time. Second bridge This bridge was replaced by a more sturdy eleven-arch wooden bridge in 1778, by 1840 this bridge had become dilapidated and the owner appealed to the Corporation of London to support reconstruction. Among their arguments were that since the bridge was built, the City had created Molesey Lock and Weir, the bridge was described at about this time as crazy, hog-backed, inconvenient and obstructive of the navigation. Third bridge From 1864 to 1865 construction took place of the bridge on the site. It was built to a design by E. T. Murray, the new bridge consisted of wrought iron lattice girders resting on four cast iron columns. The road approach was between battlemented brick walls, an illustrative fragment of these approach walls remains on the south bank immediately west of the bridge. The design was criticised, it was described simply in 1911 by one Historic Gazetteer. A less diplomatic contemporary commentator called it one of the ugliest bridges in England, the modern bridge is the fourth on the site. The bridge has three arches, is designed to be able to carry quite heavy motorised road traffic and is constructed of reinforced concrete, faced with red bricks. The bridge was one of three authorised by Parliament in 1928 and it was designed by the Surrey county engineer W. P. To ensure that traffic could cross, the new bridge was built a short distance downstream from the old. The work required the demolition of a hotel and, to the south, diversion of the flow of the River Mole into the River Ember. The bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales on 3 July 1933, on the day as the opening of Chiswick and Twickenham Bridges. The bridge was Grade II listed in 1952 for its architecture, on the south bank is a one-way street of restaurants, boutiques and bars surrounded by apartments immediately then homes with gardens west of Hampton Court railway station
5.
River Mole
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The River Mole is a tributary of the River Thames in southern England. It rises in West Sussex near Horsham and flows northwest through Surrey for 80 km to the Thames at East Molesey, the river gives its name to the Surrey district of Mole Valley. The Mole crosses the North Downs between Dorking and Leatherhead, where it cuts a valley, known as the Mole Gap. Much of the catchment area lies on rock, meaning that the river level responds rapidly to heavy rainfall. The Mole Gap forms part of a Special Area of Conservation and is an SSSI of European importance, the river has captured the imagination of several authors and poets, particularly since in very hot summers the river channel can become dry between Dorking and Leatherhead. In John Speeds 1611 map of Surrey this stretch of the river is denoted by a series of hills accompanied by the legend The river runneth under, Domesday Book lists twenty mills on the river in 1086, of which Sidlow Mill was the oldest, dating from Saxon times. The drainage area of the River Mole is 512 km2 and forms 5% of the River Thames catchment area above Teddington, annually the catchment area receives 761 mm rain each year, the greatest average level of rainfall is 800 mm rain around Crawley. The Mole catchment reaches an elevation of 265 m above Ordnance Datum at Leith Hill to the south west of Dorking. River Mole rises in Baldhorns Copse 0.7 km to the south of the village of Rusper in West Sussex, the river flows initially southwards for 1 km to a small lake at Baldhorns Park, before running eastwards through a largely rural area towards Crawley. The first tributaries to join the river drain the northernmost part of St Leonards Forest. The Mole skirts the suburbs of Crawley where it is joined by its first major tributary, Ifield Brook. The first gauging station on the Mole is south of Gatwick Airport, the mean flow is 0.33 m3/s and the river ran dry at this point for the first time in the summer of 1995. The Mole runs under the runway in a culvert completed in 1985. The Mole enters Surrey to the south of Horley, where it meets the Gatwick Stream, the mean flow measured at Horley gauging station is 1.40 m3/s. The Mole passes Horley to the west, flowing north towards Sidlow,0.7 km south of Sidlow the mean flow is measured as 2.21 m3/s at Kinnersley Manor gauging station. The Earlswood Brook, a tributary draining the area of Reigate and Redhill. The largest STW in the Mole catchment discharges up to 118.5 megalitres per day into the Earlswood Brook, from Sidlow the Mole turns north west towards Brockham. A number of minor tributaries join the river from the west and are second order streams draining the woodland
6.
Hampton Court Palace
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Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the town of East Molesey, Richmond upon Thames, Greater London, England,11.7 miles south west and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Redevelopment began to be carried out in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, in 1529, as Wolsey fell from favour, the King seized the palace for himself and later enlarged it. Along with St Jamess Palace, it is one of two surviving palaces out of the many owned by King Henry VIII. In the following century, King William IIIs massive rebuilding and expansion project, work ceased in 1694, leaving the palace in two distinct contrasting architectural styles, domestic Tudor and Baroque. While the palaces styles are an accident of fate, a unity exists due to the use of pink bricks, King George II was the last monarch to reside in the palace. In addition, London Buses routes 111,216,411, the structure and grounds are cared for by an independent charity, Historic Royal Palaces, which receives no funding from the Government or the Crown. In addition the palace continues to display a number of works of art from the Royal Collection. The palaces Home Park is the site of the annual Hampton Court Palace Festival, Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York, Chief Minister and favourite of Henry VIII, took over the site of Hampton Court Palace in 1514. It had previously been a property of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, over the following seven years, Wolsey spent lavishly to build the finest palace in England at Hampton Court. Wolsey rebuilt the manor house to form the nucleus of the present palace. Today, little of Wolseys building work remains unchanged, the first courtyard, the Base Court, was his creation, as was the second, inner gatehouse which leads to the Clock Court which contained his private rooms. The Base Court contained forty-four lodgings reserved for guests, while the court contained the very best rooms – the state apartments – reserved for the King. Henry VIII stayed in the apartments as Wolseys guest immediately after their completion in 1525. Perpendicular Gothic owed nothing historically to the Renaissance style, yet harmonised well with it and this blending of styles was realised by a small group of Italian craftsmen working at the English court in the second and third decades of the sixteenth century. They specialised in the adding of Renaissance ornament to otherwise straightforward Tudor buildings and it was one of these, Giovanni da Maiano who was responsible for the set of eight relief busts of Roman emperors which were set in the Tudor brickwork. Wolsey was only to enjoy his palace for a few years, in 1528, knowing that his enemies and the King were engineering his downfall, he passed the palace to the King as a gift. Wolsey died two years later in 1530, within six months of coming into ownership, the King began his own rebuilding and expansion. Henry VIIIs court consisted of one thousand people, while the King owned over sixty houses and palaces
7.
Thames Ditton Island
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Three islands form a linear group by the riverside at the end of the historic main street of Thames Ditton, in the River Thames in Surrey, on the Kingston reach above Teddington Lock. Thames Ditton Island, the largest of the three, is 350 yards long and has 47 homes with gardens, Boyle Farm Island has a single house and Swan Island, between the two, is the smallest. Henry VIII lived at Hampton Court long before there were any locks, the River Thames was then tidal and Kingston Bridge was the only bridge above Putney Bridge and below Chertsey Bridge. When the tide was in, ferrymen would charge a groat or two, travelling from London to Hampton Court, instead of using Kingston Bridge the monarch would often be rowed up from Westminster to the palace. The last stretch of the river to the palace was a narrower, more twisting creek. To effect a grander arrival and alleviate flooding of the village, before locks and weirs controlled the levels, Summer Road in Thames Ditton would flood at most high tides – its mud would not dry in the winter months, making it impassable, hence its name. The first wooden bridge over the river at Hampton Court opened in 1753 and had a toll collected by a bridge-keeper, a ferry remained at the Swan Inn near the islands until at least 1911, and charged less than the toll. The original rather rickety bridge was replaced by a substantial timber one in 1778. In 1865 this was replaced by a steel and brick bridge, the Thames locks began to appear late in the 18th century, Moulsey was built in 1815. Boyle Farm was in the 19th century the property of the 1st Lord St Leonards, a jurist, barrister, until the 20th century Thames Ditton Island was part of Middlesex, and then of Greater London from 1965. The residents petitioned Middlesex County Council in 1930, requesting to be transferred from Middlesex to Surrey, the island was finally transferred from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London to Esher Urban District, Surrey on 1 April 1970. For many centuries the island formed part of the lands of the Manor of Imworth appurtenant to land that became Fordes Farm, in a survey of the manor of Imber in 1608 the island was known as Collys Eite and is recorded as 2 acres of pasture. On the Surrey bank opposite, where the Swan Inn was built, large sailing barges from the Port of London would moor here to load or unload, their crews and attendant waggoners taking rest and sustenance at the inn. The island was not much more than a muddy hump. In the early 20th century came a fad for riverside weekend bungalows, the idea spread, the building of the suspension bridge in 1939 by David Rowell & Co. Boyle Farm Island is the second largest of the three islands. It contains a house, home to just one family. It is directly opposite the mansion of Boyle Farm, which is now known as the Home of Compassion. Whereas its larger partner, Thames Ditton Island, was part of Middlesex and then Greater London, Swan Island is the smallest of the three islands
8.
Raven's Ait
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Ravens Ait is an ait in the Thames between Surbiton, Kingston and Hampton Court Park in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London, England, in the reach of the river above Teddington Lock. Ravens Ait is currently run as a catering facility and a conference. Ravens Ait is a Thames ait in between Surbiton, Kingston and Hampton Court Park in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in the centre of the reach above Teddington Lock. Beside the promenade in front of the river by the ait is the Thames Sailing Club in Kingston, housing only their Thames A Class Raters. Access to the island is from Queens Promenade, by ferry, level with the actual clubhouse upstream by the A307 is small area once a draw dock used for transporting goods to the area and the former fresh water works to the south. Seething Wells is the name for the locality of the borough from which the island has direct access. In a long period to 1911 the island was home to Kingston Rowing Club, until 1970 the buildings were the familiar wooden clad Sea Cadet Blue, with very old style dormitories and a very naval discipline. In 1971 a major rebuilding operation started, with the entire accommodation except the house rebuilt by Haymills Construction. That rebuilding replaced all the old buildings with todays island buildings. During the 1980s the Inner London Education Centre used these facilities as a youth and community workers training centre, the Ravens Ait Hall Management Company Ltd went into administration and closed in December 2008. In early 2009 squatters occupied the island and facilities who had the aim of turning it into an eco conference centre. Eviction of these took place on 1 May 2009 leading to mixed views from the local community. The Council, who took the property back from the squatters, at least one newspaper has accused of failing to recycle office equipment and furniture, Ravens Ait was accredited by the Royal Yachting Association and by the British Canoe Union to conduct training in their respective disciplines. It also provided a semi-permanent mooring for Sparkle, a designed by Angus Primrose to be sailed by persons of restricted physical ability and mobility. Boats were a mixture of typical naval stock and somewhat strengthened ordinary dinghies, there were the following fleets, ASCs - the Admiralty Sailing Craft 16 foot gaff rigged dinghy, sometimes known as the GRP16, moored alongside the island. Epsom College Stockwell Manor Forest hill school Sutton County Grammar School Islands in the River Thames 1st Surbiton Sea Scouts
9.
Hogsmill River
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The Hogsmill River in Surrey, England, is one of the tributaries of the River Thames. It rises in Ewell and flows into the Thames at Kingston upon Thames on the reach above Kingston road bridge, the river is 6 miles in length and has a catchment area of 73 km². The river flows through low-lying land, most of it sports grounds and green space, the 12th century Clattern Bridge, one of the oldest road bridges in England, crosses the river in the centre of Kingston. The Coronation Stone, now sited close to the river in Kingston, is believed to have used for the coronation of Saxon kings in the 10th century. It was used as a mounting block until 1850 when it was mounted on a plinth in the town centre. The source of the Hogsmill River is a spring near grid reference TQ219627 just outside Bourne Hall Park in Ewell. It flows in a direction between Kingston Road and the sports field beside the railway track. The river continues its course in green space between the areas of Ewell Court and West Ewell and confluences with the Green Lanes Stream. After a short distance of space, the river runs as a boundary between Poole Road Recreation Ground and Ewell Court Park and flows behind Ewell Athletics Track. It reaches another confluence, this one being the Ewell Court Stream, the river runs further through the open space and passes near to West Ewell Infants School and Ruxley Church before flowing under Ruxley Farm Bridge, the site of the former Ruxley Splash. After the confluence, the Hogsmill bends to the right near Riverview Road and it runs beside Worcester Park Road and Old Malden Lane along the edge of a few sports grounds and under the entrance to a go-carting track. The river leaves the border as it turns left into the outskirts of Old Malden in an area of woodland and it crosses the Chessington branch line a short distance away from Malden Manor railway station. The Hogsmill is now flowing in a NNW direction as it crosses the A3 between Tolworth and Malden junctions, the Hogsmill leaves the green space area at the railway line and passes Kingsmeadow, Kingston Cemetery and the Sewage Works in the eastern outskirts of Kingston upon Thames. It crosses under Villiers Road before heading past a campus of Kingston University before crossing Springfield Road beside Denmark Road and it also runs under the bridge for the A307 near College Roundabout beside Kingston College. The river then runs under St. Jamess Road by the Magistrates Court, the Hogsmill River meets the Thames beside a restaurant and shopping area beside the Thames Path footbridge at grid reference TQ177691, just upstream of Kingston Bridge. Hogsmill Stream is the shortest out of the five streams of the Hogsmill. It rises at the spring in Ewell and runs to the confluence with the Green Lanes stream between West Ewell and Ewell Court in the Hogsmill Open Space, the source of the stream at Bourne Hall, Ewell Village is considered the main source of the Hogsmill River. However, other tributaries of the such as the Tolworth Brook
10.
Trowlock Island
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Teddington Locks Weir is a large structure on the same side of the river by Teddington Studios and the Lensbury Club, which is 450 m downstream. From the Thames Path crossing across the Lock in the north Ham is accessible, Trowlock Island contains 29 bungalows in plots as well as the Royal Canoe Clubs clubhouse and gym. Trowlock Island is about a third of a long with a path down the middle. Beyond the last house is a wooded area with moorings on both the main river and the backwater. Access to the island is by way of a hand wound chain ferry, like many islands in the Thames, the form of the island has changed over time, being shown as three separate islets on John Rocques map of 1746. The name derives from Trow, a type of barge averaging 50–60 tons, harry Gibbs boat building firm was located on the island in 1910. The Canoe Club has made a recent significant investment in providing new facilities for people, including a new gym, boatsheds. Included in this re-development is a plan for encouraging bio-diversity, such as bats, water fowl, a short of a video of Trowlock island in summer, that takes a viewer around the island, is available
11.
Tideway
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The Tideway is the part of the River Thames in England that is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock and in its widest definition is just under 160 kilometres long, the Tideway includes the Thames Estuary, the Thames Gateway and the Pool of London. London Bridge is used as the basis for published tide tables giving the times of high tide, high tide reaches Putney about 30 minutes later. Low-lying banks of London have been defended against natural vulnerability to flooding by storm surges, the Thames Barrier was constructed across the Thames at Woolwich to deal with this threat. The Tideway is managed by the Port of London Authority and is referred to as the Port of London. The upstream limit of its authority is marked by an obelisk just short of Teddington Lock, the PLA is responsible for one lock on the Thames, Richmond Lock. In London, the Thames is policed by the Thames Division, essex Police and Kent Police have responsibilities for the rest of the Tideway. 21st century criminal investigations have included the Roberto Calvi and Torso in the Thames cases, the London Fire Brigade has a fire boat on the river. As a result, there are four stations on the Thames, at, Teddington, Chiswick Pier, Tower Pier. The river is navigable to large ocean-going ships as far as the Pool of London at London Bridge and is the United Kingdoms second largest port by tonnage. Most trade is handled by the Port of Tilbury, ro-ro ferry terminals at Dagenham and Dartford, there is a speed limit of 8 knots west of Wandsworth Bridge and in tributary creeks, and except for authorised vehicles,12 knots between Wandsworth Bridge and Margaretness. The tidal river is used for leisure navigation and this section is not suitable for sporting activity because of the strong stream through the bridges. Rowing has a significant presence upstream of Putney Bridge, while sailing takes place in the same area, the annual Great River Race for traditional rowed craft takes place over the stretch from Greenwich to Ham. Thames meander challenges along the length of the Thames from Lechlade often pass through the London sections and finish well downstream, the Grand Union Canal joins the river at Brentford, with a branch – the Regents Canal – joining at Limehouse Basin. The other part of the network still connecting on the Tideway is the River Lea Navigation. Narrow low-lying belts beside the tidal section of the Thames regularly flood at spring tides, one such example exists at Chiswick Lane South, where the river, as pictured, overflows this road a few times per year. Although water quality has improved over the last 40 years and efforts to clean up the Tideway have led to the reintroduction of marine life and birds, the environment of the Tideway is still poor. Heavier rainfall in London causes overflows from pipes on the banks from the standard type of sewer in the capital
12.
Lock (water navigation)
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A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. Locks are used to make a more easily navigable, or to allow a canal to cross land that is not level. Later canals used more and larger locks to allow a direct route to be taken. Since 2016 the largest lock worldwide is the Kieldrecht Lock in the Port of Antwerp, a pound lock is a type of lock that is used almost exclusively nowadays on canals and rivers. A pound lock has a chamber with gates at both ends that control the level of water in the pound, in contrast, an earlier design with a single gate was known as a flash lock. Pound locks were first used in medieval China during the Song Dynasty, having been pioneered by the government official and engineer Qiao Weiyue in 984. The gates were hanging gates, when they were closed the water accumulated like a tide until the level was reached. The water level could differ by 4 feet or 5 feet at each lock, in medieval Europe a sort of pound lock was built in 1373 at Vreeswijk, Netherlands. This pound lock serviced many ships at once in a large basin, yet the first true pound lock was built in 1396 at Damme near Bruges, Belgium. A famous civil engineer of pound locks in Europe was the Italian Bertola da Novate, who constructed 18 of them on the Naviglio di Bereguardo between the years 1452 and 1458. When a stretch of river is navigable, a lock is sometimes required to bypass an obstruction such as a rapid, dam. In large scale river navigation improvements, weirs and locks are used together, a river improved by these means is often called a Waterway or River Navigation. Sometimes a river is made entirely non-tidal by constructing a sea lock directly into the estuary, in more advanced river navigations, more locks are required. Where a longer cut bypasses a stretch of river, the upstream end of the cut will often be protected by a flood lock. The longer the cut, the greater the difference in level between start and end of the cut, so that a very long cut will need additional locks along its length. At this point, the cut is, in effect, a canal, Early completely artificial canals, across fairly flat countryside, would get round a small hill or depression by simply detouring around it. However, locks continued to be built to supplement these solutions, all pound locks have three elements, A watertight chamber connecting the upper and lower canals, and large enough to enclose one or more boats. The position of the chamber is fixed, but its level can vary
