King's Lock on the River Thames

Kings is a modern version of Kingisweire - kin meaning cattle.  In 1289 a weir and fish traps were recorded on the current site.  It wasn’t until 1928 that the pound lock, which is still in use today, was built to replace a flash lock.  To celebrate its 80^th anniversary and to improve facilities for all our visitors we decided to extend the lock office with an experimental building.  Designed to test carbon saving construction techniques it has car tyre foundations and straw bale walls. We intend to use some or all of these techniques and materials elsewhere on the Thames once we have evaluated the success of this project.  The building has been funded by the Environment Agency's Carbon Reduction Fund to offset some of the carbon we produce when carrying out our functions.

Did you know?

The local pub The Trout Inn is said to be haunted by a ghost, Rosamund the Fair, the White Lady. More recently, it has been the haunt of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse.

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)1865 553403
Postcode: OX2 8PY

Find out more about the King's Lock facilities.