The locks at Bingley in West Yorkshire are considered one of the greatest feats of canal engineering of their day and are Grade I listed, in the same category as York Minster and Buckingham Palace. They sit on the Leeds to Liverpool canal, once one of England’s most important transport routes. The Bingley Five Rise is one of the seven wonders of the waterways and the U.K.’s steepest lock flight.
On 21 March 1774, around 30,000 people gathered along the towpath to watch the first boats make the 60-foot descent through Bingley Five Rise Locks.
Reported by the Leeds Intelligencer newspaper to be the ‘noblest works of the kind that perhaps are to be found in the same extent in the universe’. 250 years on, they are a much-loved attraction for leisure and wellbeing and a vital link in the canal’s wildlife corridor stretching over the Pennines thanks to the work of the Canal and River Trust.
The waterways charity commemorated the 250th anniversary with a special event on Saturday 23rd March 2024 which showcased the past, present and future of the lock flight on the longest canal in the country.
The event highlighted the modern challenges of looking after this historic working structure. Constructed in Georgian times, the locks were a vital part of a commercial thoroughfare to transport goods across the Pennines to the North Sea. Thanks to the work of the Canal and River Trust to keep canals alive, it is staggering to think that 250 years later these locks are still in daily use by boaters and the many walkers, cyclists and runners who come to enjoy spending time along the towpath.
As the steepest flight of locks in Britain, Bingley Five Rise Locks lifts boats around 18 metres (60 feet), with the five locks operating as a ‘staircase’ flight, in which the lower gate of one lock forms the upper gate of the next. Each set of lock gates weighs six tonnes (the equivalent of an adult African elephant) and at seven-metres tall, they are some of the tallest lock gates in the country. The gates are handmade by the Canal & River Trust at its workshop at Stanley Ferry and must be replaced approximately every 25 years to keep the locks and canal open.
Celebrating this remarkable wonder of the waterways I was invited to board a canal boat and travel up the locks from the bottom of the staircase to the top, taking 30 minutes. Until you are actually travelling up or down the flight of locks, it is difficult to appreciate how deep the locks actually are.
Many people from the local community and further afield joined to help celebrate this remarkable feat of engineering. A varied programme of activities had been arranged for everyone to enjoy the day from families, boaters and those interested in history and nature.
There was an opportunity to meet lock keepers and volunteers who help to maintain the canal network and to learn how the lock gates operate. Other free activities included guided heritage walks, bird watching, canoe and SUP sessions.
The top of the locks offers stunning views of the Aire Valley with the Five Rise Locks Café open for refreshments. Walking downhill towards Bingley Three Rise Locks there were more paddle sports and family-friendly activities taking place.
Damart Café, next to the canal opened to the public for the first time with refreshments and an arts programme of talks, weaving demonstrations and readings by the Trust’s Canal Poet Laureate Roy McFarlane. The event then extended from the canal towpath down into the town centre where an artisan market, brass band performances and bell ringing took place.
It was an unforgettable experience to be part of the 250th anniversary celebrations and I would like to thank the Canal and River Trust for inviting me to their press day at the Five Rise Locks on 21st March (the exact anniversary) and to the splendid public celebrations on the Saturday.
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