Rushey Lock is a lock

Lock (water transport)

A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...

 on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 in England. It is on the northern bank of the river in Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

, a considerable distance from any village, the nearest being Buckland Marsh, a hamlet on the road to Buckland

Buckland, Oxfordshire

Buckland is a village and civil parish about northeast of Faringdon in the Vale of White Horse District. Buckland was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire.-Character and geography:...

 to the south of the river.

The lock was built in stone in 1790 by the Thames Navigation Commission

Thames Navigation Commission

The Thames Navigation Commission used to manage the River Thames in southern England. In particular, they were responsible for installing or renovating many of the locks on the river in the 18th and early 19th centuries.- History :...

.
The weir is adjacent to the lock on the other side of the lock island.

History

There was originally a weir and flash lock

Flash lock

Early locks were designed with a single gate, known as a flash lock or staunch lock. The earliest European references to what were clearly flash locks were in Roman times....

 about a mile upstream called Old Nan's Weir. A survey made in 1790 concluded that the site was unsuitable for a pound lock, and it was built at Rushey instead. There is no record of an earlier weir or lock at Rushey. Keepers at Rushey had oversight of Old Nan's Weir which was finally removed in 1868. Rushey lock was reported as in a bad state of deterioration in 1857 and the weir also in 1871, repairs being needed on both occasions. The lock keeper's house with a pyramidical roof was built in 1894, replacing an older one, and the lock was rebuilt in 1898.

Reach above the lock

The river is very twisty along this reach. A short way before Radcot Lock is Old Man's Bridge

Old Man's Bridge

Old Man's Bridge is a wooden footbridge across the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is situated on the reach above Rushey Lock, a short way downstream of Radcot Lock....

 which is on the site of a former weir.

The Thames Path

Thames Path

The Thames Path is a National Trail, opened in 1996, following the length of the River Thames from its source near Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Thames Barrier at Charlton. It is about long....

follows the southern bank to Radcot Lock.

External links

• The Thames Path: Tadpole Bridge to Lechlade -- Rushey Lock is about half-way down this article, with several pictures