Molesey Lock on the River Thames

A stone's throw from Hampton Court Palace is Molesey Lock, built relatively recently in 1815 by the Corporation of London.

Before this lock was built, Hurst Park (on the south bank by the lock) was known as Moulsey Hurst. During droughts, the Thames was liable to become too shallow for river craft to pass through. The heavily laden barges were held up, sometimes for weeks at a time while the bargemen waited for the weather to turn. When it did, the higher water levels allowed the barges to float through.

The lock's 1905 rebuild was carried out to accommodate the long 200ft naval craft built at Platt's Eyot, just upstream of the lock. Between the 1800s and early 1900s, Molesey was probably the most popular lock on the Thames - on summer Sundays.

Did you know?

In 2005, the BBC's garden make-over programme, Ground Force, visited Molesey Lock's lock keeper and re-designed his garden.

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8979 4482
Postcode: KT8 9AW

Find out more abou the Molesey Lock facilities.