Guillotine Lock, King’s Norton, North Stratford Canal.

Unusual, Scheduled Ancient Monument.

We have moved out of the city and are now heading down the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. At King’s Norton, there is a junction with the North Stratford Canal. When built, canal companies were independent companies. With water at a premium, they would hotly protect “their” water. This was normally achieved by what are known as “stop locks”. Very much like a standard lock, but the rise/fall in water level would often be as little as a few inches. This Guillotine Lock as used here is extremely unusual.When the two canals were built, the Worcester & Birmingham Canal was just 1 inch higher than the North Stratford. Today, they are both at the same level, and this stop lock is now out of use. There is an identical gate the other side of this road bridge. Historically, there would have been a lock keeper who have opened the gates (one at a time) to let boats through, with the minimum passage of water.

Photograph Details:

• Taken: 4 Jan 2020
• Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
• Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L II USM
• Focal Length 25mm
• F/5
• 1/100 Sec
• ISO 100