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Left bank, tel:01367 870218, drop: 6'0", length: 113'6", width: 15'1"
Lock Keeper: Graham Margesson
Camping: Rushey Lock, Tadpole Bridge, Buckland March, Nr Faringdon, Oxon. SN7 8RF.
01367 870218. 5 pitches, 1st April to 31st October.
WC, water. Walkers cyclists and boaters only. No car parking.
Maps
Rushey to Grafton,
Rushey to Shifford, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guides
This section in The Stripling Thames by Fred Thacker
Rushey Lock has a complete paddle and Rymer weir.
Fred Thacker’s Map, 1920.
Rushey Lock.
1542: Grant to Robert Kyng, Bishop of Oxford,
of “the several water called Rushy, flowing within the parish of Bampton”.
1790: Stone Pound Lock built and opened.
1794: Boydell calls it “Rudge’s” (the name of the lock keeper).
1857:-
In a most frightful state of dilapidation. It only had two gates out of four, and it was stuffed up with hurdles, and straw, and that sort of thing, to keep the water up to a certain height.
1860: Rushey Lock, Henry Taunt -
Rushey Lock, Henry Taunt, 1860
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT01189
1871: Taunt – "the weir old and broken".
1874: Rushey Weir etching by Phillips -
Rushey Weir, 1874.
1875: Rushey Weir repaired.
1885: The Royal River –
The country immediately bordering on the river is sparsely populated, and the world must revolve somewhat slowly for those who live here. Some indication of this may be gathered from the fact that at Rushy(sic) Lock, where there is a fine weir and pool, we had the pleasure of being our own lock keeper, opening the heavy gates, letting in the water, and releasing ourselves. The labour accomplished, a small urchin of six years of age was sharp enough to put in an appearance in time to take the toll; it was evident, however that traffic was so unexpected that he alone had been left in charge.
1898: Lock rebuilt.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
Within sight from the crown of [Tadpole Bridge] lies well loved Rushey Lock, where
Tom Weal serves the Conservancy: "it takes him in the knees" says he. Big slow Tom
is a character I remember with affection. Many a talk I have had with him on his white-railed lock
in the cool of the evening, watching Bampton spire piercing the lemon clearness above the trees;
while Buckland woods darkened into ever deeper purple.
The extortions of some of the River inns, his son's trophies and adventures in South Africa,
local drownings, his eeltraps, the winter floods, the former crazy lockhouse and weir,
his own little commerce in rushes and produce: on these he will talk by the hour with many
a bit of humour his impeded speech does nothing to diminish.
He was born at Perivale; and when the Brent flooded the churchyard and washed away the earth he used
with other boys to p-p-poke the coffins with a stick and get the b-b-bones out!
He is only "the b-b-boy" to his capable wife and pretty daughter, who are usually busy in the summer
with holiday visitors.
My boat lies cosily in a tiny bay in his weir stream beneath the willows;
and it has always been with real regret and many a backward look that I have let her float downstream,
around around the bend and out of sight of this little haven of remoter Thames.
The lock is thickly embowered in trees, one a dainty symetrical little chestnut;
and its white fences, and old barn usually decorated with the head of a pike,
cling closely in the memory.
1911: Rushey Weir, W. Parker -
Rushey Weir, W. Parker, 1911
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; D230393a
Site of Winney Weg’s Weir
Site of Winney Weg's Weir may be just above Rushey Lock or above Tadpole Bridge. One of Fred Thacker's maps seems to imply it was on the Isle of Wight Brook north of Tadpole Bridge.
Site of Old Nan’s Weir
Site of Old Nan’s Weir – a mile above Rushey Lock.
The next old weir site is Old Man's Weir.
The similarity between the two names is striking - were they the same? Or was it just that
there was some delight in the repetition?
1790: Mylne advised against a pound lock here.
1791:-
totally blown up; the water runs under the sill, and leaves only ten inches of water on the sill; the whole obstructs the navigation in such a manner, that it is impossible to make any pen; even the Navigation Shallop, after being lightened, was obliged to be lifted over with Leavers.
1793: Old Nan's Weir rebuilt.
1798:-
A Long swing bridge Over the Barge Canal as is nockt down by the Boats and all to pieces and lies in a daingerous Situation a Litle above Rushy pound Lock. Built by the order of Mr. Clews placed in a Rappid Stream and a Daingerous place.
1802: Mylne –
all open and no tackle in whatever; to the detriment of the floating depth all the way up to the next sound pen. No keeper in attendance, nor shelter for one of any sort, except an old willow.
1868: Old Nan's Weir removed and the waterway nearly doubled.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
At the end of a mile [above Rushey Lock] by the first white footbridge on the Berkshire shore,
you pass the site of Old Nan's weir, "a small weir with merely a hut" wrote Fearnside about 1830.
A little further upstream on the Oxfordshire side, along a green ridge between high hedges,
stands a gate hung upon two stone pillars which according to Tom Weal are the sole relics of
Burroway Castle. He said they carry some carving or other, but all I could distinguish was an "A"
upon one of them. He is my only authority for this scrap of topography, though the name is genuine enough;
I already knew the Burroway Brook from some River map or other; it is an outfall leaving Thames on the left bank
just below Old Man's Bridge. [And rejoining 400 yards above Rushey Lock]
(Upstream to Old Man's Footbridge)
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