Caversham Lock
Telephone: 0118 957 5764
Postcode: RG1 8BP
Locks have been documented here at Caversham since the 15th century, although these were undoubtedly flash weirs. It wasn't until 1777 that the Thames Commissioners decided that they had to spend £1,000 on building a pound lock, the first one using fir wood. In those days the owners charged a toll of two pennies per ton to merchants taking their barges through the lock.
It is recorded that in 1778, a new lock office be built for the keeper. It was a small wooden affair, provided 'for the keeper to receive his money and put in his tools for the necessary opening the pound.'
Lock keeper
The Lock keeper here at Caversham is Tanya Rosenberg, a former theatre stage manager who wanted a change of lifestyle some 12 years ago. She started as a summer assistant at Sonning before becoming District Relief between Cleeve and Hurley locks.
'There was too much travelling in my earlier career' she says. 'I wanted to settle down and it had to be something to do with the river.'
An interesting fact
Visitors to Caversham Lock have sometimes seen 'a tortoise drowning in the river'. This 'tortoise' is, in fact, a terrapin. It is believed they were bought as pets during the 'Ninja Turtle' craze several years ago, and then released into the river when they grew too big to handle.
Location and facilities
For a map and a list of all the facilities at the lock visit...
> Location and facilities at Caversham Lock