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Iffley to Osney, Iffley to Sandford, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guides
Maps
Right bank, boat rollers right bank side of lock, length: 154'1", width: 21'3"
The Francis Frith Oxford Photographs (only a small proportion shown here)
The original reason for a weir here would
be to power a water mill and catch fish.
1220-30: Ralph the Pontarius – bridge keeper at
Iffley. This would have been presumably
a bridge over a weir.
1497: Leonardo da Vinci probably did the design
work which made the modern pound lock, with double gates, possible.
The design below is for the lock at San Marco in Milan.
The deceptively simple drawing is full
of details for the mitre gate, which superseded the portcullis type of gate
previously used. It shows the mitre and quoin posts, vertical wooden planks
with horizontal and diagonal braces, iron sheathing for the joints, a brick
floor underneath the gates, and a recess in the wall into which each gate
folds. A detail of the paddles for letting water into and out of the lock is shown
below the gate -
Leonardo da Vinci’s Lock Gate, 1497
1585: the weir belongs to Mrs. Pitts.
1605: Act 21 of James I for the establishment of
three pound locks, including Iffley.
1746: Roger Griffiths – the
“turnpike” at Iffley – turnpike was a frequent name for a pound lock.
1774: A new lock?
1775: Bowen’s Map – "Isley turnpike" [Fred Thacker commented "the art of spelling is, after all, a vastly
over-rated accomplishment"]
1790: The Thames Commissioners bought Iffley Lock.
1791: Mylne – "Swiffin’s Weir adjoins Iffley".
1793: the old pound lock was rebuilt, being lengthened to 120 feet.
1794: the new lock keeper,
John Danby, also the miller at Iffley, was instructed to take tolls for “punts,
pleasure boats, skiffs, wherries, etc”.
1802: Iffley Lock enlarged and repaired.
1811: View of Oxford -
1811, Oxford from Iffley, showing the ferry and lock as in the 1874 map
1811 - three horse
bridges were to be built as soon as possible over three “long and dangerous
fords” which interupted the towpath between Iffley Lock and Folly Bridge.
1864: Lock repaired. Only three feet of water on lower sill.
1874: Map of the Old Iffley Lock [ completely altered in 1924 ] -
1874: Map of the Old Iffley Lock [ completely altered in 1924 ]
1875:
Ordnance Survey Map
1877: Flood enquiry – the Revd J C Clutterbuck
blamed Iffley as the real cause of flooding in Oxford.
There is a lock with two mills, with their accompanying weirs; and if they were swept away that would be a great step towards improvement.
1881: Jerome K Jerome is a little miserable about Iffley Lock -
Iffley Lock and Mill, a mile before you reach Oxford, is a favourite subject with the river-loving brethren of the brush. The real article, however, is rather disappointing, after the pictures. Few things, I have noticed, come quite up to the pictures of them, in this world.
1885: Boatslide promised. The lock was nearly removed but finally saved
by local petitions. The level of the river up to Folly Bridge (Lock) was to be lowered
2 ft 6 in., but the bed was to be dredged so that there should be a uniform
depth of about five feet.
[See the "Head of the River" section for two strange consequences of this dredging. ]
1882: The Picnic to Nuneham, at Iffley Lock -
The Picnic to Nuneham, at Iffley Lock, 1882
1885: Iffley Old Lock, Henry Taunt. This was the Iffley Lock out of which the Bumping races originally started. See Oxford Rowing.
Iffley Old Lock, Henry Taunt, 1885
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT5483
To the right of the lock is a slipway. I don't think this was the boatslide.
In the previous Iffley Mill section there is a photo clearly showing boatrollers over the other
side.
1891: The Stream of Pleasure, Joseph & Elizabeth Robins Pennell -
While the water ran out, the lock-keeper came and gave us that curious literary production, a Thames Lock Ticket. It admits you "through, by, or over the lock or weir" for threepence. That is, I suppose, you can go through the lock in Christian fashion, drown under the weir, push and pull over the roller if there is one, or drag your boat round by the shore; but whether you come out dead or alive, for any of these privileges the Thames Conservancy will have its threepence.
1906: G.E.Mitton -
The channel running past the bathing places is equally unsuited for navigation, and is moreover guarded by two mills, but it may be negotiated with … good luck. Hinksey Stream flows into this backwater, and there are several places, after shoals have been avoided or surmounted, where it is extremely pleasant to while away an idle hour.
1924: Iffley Lock rebuilt in a different place to
the right bank side of the old lock, which can still be seen, and is used as a
weir. If you look at the old map above you will see that there was
considerable reshaping of the lock area.
On the right bank, South, side of the modern lock, in place of what was a weir stream from the
lasher above the lock until 1924, are the boat rollers (boat slide) -
they are not now locked – but not easy for a punt to use. The Iffley - Sandford reach is
difficult punting - so maybe there was an intention to discourage hired punts
from going down there.
There are two bridges over the slide to the lock side:
1923: The 'Mathematical' Bridge, built by the Thames Conservancy when the lock area was reconstructed
Designed by G. J. Griffiths -
Iffley Mathematical Bridge, over the boatslide channel, downstream
The 'Mathematical' Bridge was a tribute to the similar bridge over the Cam in Cambridge -
The Cambridge Mathematical Bridge
The Cambridge original was built in 1749 by James Essex the Younger (1722-1784)
to the design of William Etheridge (1709-1776).
It was subsequently rebuilt to the same design in 1866 and 1905.
William Etheridge also designed the Walton Bridge of 1750 -
1750: Walton Bridge designed by Etheridge and painted by Canaletto
The upstream Bridge over the boatslide is a stone bridge, presumably from around 1924
Iffley Stone Bridge, right bank, upstream of the boatslide channel.
Iffley Boat Rollers & my punt one gloomy morning, with the lock and lock house beyond.
(Isis Inn & Boathouse)
Introduction
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