Maps
Right bank, drop: 4'10", length: 113'6", width: 15'
This section in The Stripling Thames by Fred Thacker
Site of Clarke’s, Beck’s or Buck’s flashweir
Fred Thacker’s map, 1920.
Radcot Lock.
1746: Griffiths called it Beck’s Weir. Free of toll.
1789: Owned by Mr. Chymist.
1791 & 1793: toll 5 shillings for a 60 ton barge.
1794: Boydell’s folio (text by W Coombe -
A rude railing stretches across the stream from a group of willows on one side, to a bank with two thatched habitations on the other: of singular form and peculiar neatness. The inhabitants employ their industry in two elements: to till the earth, and to fish the water.
1802: Mylne -
found it all open, the usual practice. … It belongs to Major Gorges, whose tonnage has been raised from £30 to £50 a year, while all remains in the same neglected state.
1811: Radcot Weir in The Thames, or Graphic illustrations of seats, villas ...
Radcot Weir S. Owen. 1811
The almost identical print appeared (coloured) with the same text appended
1814: Radcot Wier, Cooke’s Views of the Thames -
Radcot Wier. Drawn by S. Owen. Octr 1, 1814.
RADCOT WEIR.
This spot, which is at some distance below Radcot bridge, near Faringdon, in the county of Berks,
displays a charming little picture of rustic scenery.
These weirs, which are very frequent in the upper part of the Thames,
and give a very pleasing variety to it, are artificial dams, or banks, c
arried across the river, in order to pen up the water to a certain height,
for the services of the mill, the fishery, and the navigation.
A large range of frame-work, which resembles the railing of a bridge, rises from the bank below,
and supports a number of small flood gates, sliding in grooves, and connected with a sill in the bottom.
When these are drawn up, the whole body of the stream, being collected into a narrow space,
rushes through with great rapidity, and gives a temporary depth to the shallows, or,
by the power of the current, forces the barges over them.
This machinery never fails, in a greater or less degree, to attract attention:
in its most simple state, it affords variety to the view, breaks the line of the river,
produces some kind of waterfall, and gives activity and eddy to the current.
But these weirs are generally connected with various accessory and diversifying circumstances;
the mill, the fisherman's hut, or the cottage of the person who collects the toll,
sometimes embowered in trees, but always connected with them, heighten and vary the character
and humble beauties of the scene.
When the river is high, the overfall of the water forms a large cascade;
but at all times the upper stream forces its way;
in some parts, spouting through the apertures of the flood gates;
in others, fretting through the moss-grown timbers,
or rushing over the aquatic plants that cling to the frame-work;
and thus, broken into a thousand various rills, falls into the lower water, and continues,
- as it enlivens the course of the river.
Radcot Weir is a very picturesque example of these necessary appendages
to the upper division of the Thames navigation, and possesses a full proportion of the landscape
effect which has just been described: it is a scene where the eye, satiated with the glare
of extensive prospect, may delight to repose.
1811: weir repaired and named as “Clark’s Back Weir”.
1868: Radcot weir removed and waterway widened.
1892: Radcot Lock opened in December. The traditional paddle and Rymer weir was also replaced then.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
Half a mile upstream [from Old Man's Footbridge] is Radcot weir, known also as Buck's or Beck's. Its lock garden is always a gay parterre of flowers in their season; the fine old keeper told me in 1906 with great satisfaction that he had taken the Coservancy prize for the prettiest show between Oxford and Lechlade; and he had it again in following summers.
1951: Edward Ardizzone, from Sketches from A holiday Afloat -
Decide that there is a sinister quality about locks that we don't get used too.
1986: A new lock house.
1993: A new paddle and rhymer weir.
(Upstream to Radcot Cradle 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