The CRT team who have been working on replacing the bottom gates of the lock in Banbury had an open day today, where the public could go into and see the inner workings of a lock. The bottom gates had already been changed – with the old ones sitting in the crane barge waiting to be taken away.
The red liners shown in the photo are ready and marked, so that when the lock is filled, any leaking water marks the paint.. and shows which part needs “shaving” to make a fully water tight seal. You may also notice that the walls of the lock are still “slimy”.. this they leave in place, as they don’t want to clean this off, in case it causes a leak in the wall by removing the growth that is sealing the bricks together..
Usually, you don’t get to see the underwater parts.. so it made for a very interesting day!
