Weston Lock

Weston Lock is a stone-built lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal near Bath that manages water levels for boats moving through the waterway. The structure features multiple chambers and gates that help vessels rise or fall between different sections of the canal.

John Rennie designed and built this lock between 1794 and 1810 as part of a major canal project linking the Avon to the Thames. It represents early industrial engineering when canal networks were rapidly expanding across Britain.

The lock sits alongside a working canal where locals and visitors watch narrowboats pass through on weekends and warm days. This waterway has shaped how people in Bath connect with the landscape and spend leisure time outdoors.

You can view the lock best from the towpath that runs beside the canal and is easy to walk along. The site is open year-round, but offers the most activity on days when boats are passing through.

The stone blocks of the lock still bear chisel marks from the craftsmen who cut them in the early 1800s. These marks show how stonemasons identified their work and are a rare trace of Georgian construction methods.

Location: Bath and North East Somerset

GPS coordinates: 51.38270,-2.39700

Latest update: December 14, 2025 14:23