Mapledurham Lock
Telephone: 0118 941 7776
Postcode: RG8 8BE
Mapledurham Lock has been linked through the ages with the nearby corn mill - the only water mill working on the River Thames today. The mill appears in the Domesday Book, so it follows there was a dam or weir here in 1086, one of the earliest recorded on the river.
Mapledurham Lock made history in 1956 when it became the first mechaical lock on the Thames. It used an early type of electro-mechanical system although it wasn't very successful and was converted to hydraulic operation in the 1974.
Lock keeper
George Fielder has been Lock Keeper here at Mapledurham for no fewer than 30 years. Prior to this career, George was an electrical engineer. 'I love the job of lock keeping. It's a way of life, rather than a job. Wonderful not to be queuing in traffic and to be here at the best location on the Thames. From the lock side you are surrounded by trees, natural and man-made history. I found this very easy to get used to,' he says.
Interesting fact
The famous film The Eagle has Landed was filmed in 1976 partly at Mapledurham Mill.
Location and facilities
For a map and a list of all the facilities at the lock visit...
> Location and facilities at Mapledurham Lock