Construction of Top Lock behind Hudd’s Mill
The actual sketch Thomas Surbey made of the area around Hudd’s Mill confirms many of the written descriptions found.
However close inspection of his sketch shows it had an error in it that wasn't obvious to him. Up until then, locks had been used on river navigations to go round obstacles such as mills or weirs and that is what his sketch shows. Here, the outlet from Top Lock didn’t go back into the river but went across country for over 6 miles before rejoining the River Welland in Market Deeping.
What his sketch did show was the need for a bridge over the canal to get to the mill (now on an island) and how the gates were opened by chains rather than long bars on the top of the gates.
This is the best image of the layout at the mill after the canal was built.
Only a short section of the lock pen can now be seen over the railings in the garden of the converted mill.
The Stamford Canal << The earliest proper canal in England? <<
