Sunbury to Shepperton, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guide
Sunbury to Molesey, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guide
Right bank, tel: 01932 782089, length: 206', width: 24'4"
Sunbury Weir for canoists
1623: 100 poore barge men complained -
Sir Thomas Lake has caused 2 milles to be built here to the great hindrance of a great many poore men which getts their living by the said river. But what cares hee or such as hee?
1789: A weir ordered -
for the benefit of the navigation with all convenient speed
1812: Pound lock opened, designed by Rennie. The new lock changed the place where barges were unloaded, to the annoyance of a local house owner –
On Monday last a large barge was brought in close by the house to unload during that and the following day. One of the bargemen, tho’ I was standing within a few yards of him and without permission was going to take my punt from the shore to the barge. Upon my refusing him the use of it after such a liberty, and stating the nuisance of unloading so close to the house – He said he should land there when he pleased. Soon after another bargeman fastened the barge rope to a small punt post – I went out to notice the impropriety of fixing the rope of such a large barge to so small a post – He answered that if he chose, he might fix the rope to the knocker of my street door. The language used by the men was very improper to be within the hearing of the ladies of the house.
1834: Sunbury Lock, Tombleson -
Sunbury Lock, Tombleson, 1834
1836: The weir damaged in the summer.
1838: A third pair of gates added.
1859: Mr & Mrs Hall -
A weir of considerable length, and lower down a lock recently constructed on ‘scientific principals’, the waters being raised and lowered by machinery; but the effect of the ‘improvement’ is to embarrass and delay the voyager.
1862: Lock rebuilt.
1866: Boat rollers built
1871: Henry Taunt –
The lock very slow in emptying
1880: Sunbury Locks, Henry Taunt -
Sunbury Locks, Henry Taunt, 1880
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT321
1886: Lock rebuilt
Postcard undated –
Sunbury Locks, undated
1925: Second Lock built
1999 -
Sunbury has two locks and two boat rollers, which the lock keeper helped me to use, causing much astonishment to a boat which passed me in the lock cut and entered the lock before me and then found themselves re-passing me below the lock.
Sunbury Lock Cut Footbridge, Doug Myers © 2005
Map: Sunbury Lock Ait
Sunbury Lock Ait is a long island above the lock, separating the right bank Lock Cut
from the weir stream. The left bank weir is above Sunbury Lock Ait
1889: Jerome K Jerome -
We reached Sunbury Lock at half-past three. The river is sweetly pretty just there before you come to the gates, and the backwater is charming; but don't attempt to row up it. I tried to do so once. I was sculling, and asked the fellows who were steering if they thought it could be done, and they said, oh, yes, they thought so, if I pulled hard. We were just under the little foot-bridge that crosses it between the two weirs, when they said this, and I bent down over the sculls, and set myself up, and pulled. I pulled splendidly. I got well into a steady rhythmical swing. I put my arms, and my legs, and my back into it. I set myself a good, quick, dashing stroke, and worked in really grand style. My two friends said it was a pleasure to watch me. At the end of five minutes, I thought we ought to be pretty near the weir, and I looked up. We were under the bridge, in exactly the same spot that we were when I began, and there were those two idiots, injuring themselves by violent laughing. I had been grinding away like mad to keep that boat stuck still under that bridge. I let other people pull up backwaters against strong streams now.
Map: Wheatley's Ait
Left bank above the weir
Sunbury, Mortimer Menpes, 1906
In the next reach when I punted from Lechlade to Teddington I saw the only other
moving punts on the whole river. They
were a rather effete inbred branch of the family having shrunk to little more
than a foot wide and occupying themselves by racing up and down a hundred yard
course. I suggested that real punts
should tackle a hundred miles not just a hundred yards, but I don’t think they
thought I meant it. (This may not be
entirely fair to them …)
1890: Walton on Thames, Swan Hotel, Francis Frith -
1890: Walton on Thames, Swan Hotel, Francis Frith
1899: Walton on Thames Boathouse, Francis Frith -
1899: Walton on Thames Boathouse, Francis Frith
Map: Shepperton Marina
Left bank below Walton Bridge
Map: Walton Marine, Marina
right bank below Walton Bridge
Upstream to Walton Bridge
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS