Bingley Five Rise Locks

The mid to late 18th century in Britain saw two important revolutions, the industrial revolution and the revolution of the canal age. Before the advent of trains and cars, canals were the main highways throughout the UK, linking towns, cities and rivers to create a navigable system for the transportation of goods.

One of these important arteries was the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which was conceived in the mid-1760s in order to create a link between the wool towns of Yorkshire and the growing port and cotton industry around Lancashire. At 127 miles long and passing through some difficult terrain it was quite the feat of engineering. The area around Bingley in particular was challenging as it has a large change in elevation over a very short distance making conventional locks impractical and expensive. Step forward John Longbotham.

The solution he came up with was to create a five-rise staircase lock. A normal lock would have a short stretch of canal between each lock, known as a pound, but on a staircase lock the upper gates to one chamber form the lower gates to the next, making it a far more efficient system. Indeed, boats using Bingley Five Rise Locks will rise around 18.5m over a distance of around 100m.

The locks, which were completed in 1774, were built over 4 years by hand, using picks and shovels and gunpowder where needed! These canal navigators, or “Navvies”, were incredibly skilled, building the walls and basins to tiny tolerances to ensure they were watertight against the huge water pressure they would have to withstand.

This precision engineering helped to ensure that the water within the canal system was managed to a very fine degree. Every time a boat went down the locks, the water in each basin would be lost downstream, risking the viability of the water in the summit pound. The operation of the locks is highly controlled to avoid water loss and there are also side ponds which held water coming from the descending locks that could be used to replenish any lost and also be used to partially fill an ascending lock. It was effectively an early form of water recycling.

The economic impact of the canal and locks was almost immediate, transforming Bingley and its neighbour, Bradford into major industrial hubs and boosting the regional economy though the construction of new warehouses, wharves and mills along its banks.

Sadly, over time the canal system became less important with the rise of road and rail networks and the Five Rise Locks were used less for commercial purposes and more for recreational ones. They are now managed by the Canal and River Trust and have Grade I listed status. The locks are still operated by the same manual systems and are a spectacular sight from the towpath, knowing that they are actually older than the USA by 2 years gives you a real insight to how incredible their construction and design was.

On the day of our visit the Five Rise Locks were being repaired so we couldn't get too close, but luckily, just downstream there is the smaller Three Rise Lock of the same design where we could get a closer look at the system along with a lovely artwork showing famous people and locations in towns along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. There is also a small café at the top of the Five Rise Locks where you can get teas and wees.