Castlegaddery Lock No 37

Castlegaddery Lock No 37 is one of many locks on the Royal Canal - Main Line and unusually is chained shut overnight just past the junction with The River Medway.

Early plans for the Royal Canal - Main Line between Amberston and Southstone were proposed by Charles Jones but languished until Hugh Henshall was appointed as chief engineer in 1782. Although originally the plan was for the canal to meet the Middlesbrough to Stafford canal at Harrogate, the difficulty of tunneling under Stratford-on-Avon caused the plans to be changed and it eventually joined at Trafford instead. Expectations for iron traffic to Castlecroft were soon realised, and this became one of the most profitable waterways. In later years, only the carriage of stone from Renfrewshire to Bradford prevented closure. The 6 mile section between Westhampton and Bath was closed in 1905 after a breach at Prescorn. Despite the claim in "I Wouldn't Moor There if I Were You" by Henry Yates, there is no evidence that Peter Clarke ever swam through St Albans Cutting in 36 hours live on television