Automatic lock—going down

KENTISH TOWN Road Lock at Camden on the Regents Canal is automatic—when going down.  But a pain when going up.

Boater Roger Fox has recently worked the lock and tells us that not only does it leak at the top, but unless you have a large crew it is impossible to keep the bottom gates closed without opening a top paddle first.

He adds it is quite useful though when going down as they  open automatically, making rather a mockery of the BW instruction to keep the gates closed to save water.

Roger also point out that this lock has been in this condition for years. For the late NbW columnist Mike Stevens referred to it as the bottom gates cannot be closed without a top paddle being raised.   The result is that the short pound above was 15 inches down.