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Summary

Unlisted sluice structure probably of the mid-19th century, but replaced in the early 21st century

Monument Type(s):

• SLUICE (Mid to Late 19th century to Early 21st century - 1850 AD to 2050 AD)
• SLUICE GATE (Mid to Late 19th century to Early 21st century - 1850 AD to 2050 AD)

Full Description

The Bone Mill Sluice is marked with a footpath across it on the First Edition OS map of 1880-81 <1> onwards and labelled as a sluice from the Second Edition map of 1899 <2>. Recording of the structure was undertaken in October 2008 following proposals to refurbish the sluice by removing its existing wooden gate and ballast bags, and replacing it with a manually operated vertical gate made of steel <3>.

Bone Mill was a watermill of at least mid-19th century date, and the sluice was found to have been rebuilt at least twice in the 20th century, once in the 1930s and again in 1966 when the base and side walls were cast in concrete <3>. The original sluice had three vertical guillotine gates each independently controlled by a rack and pinion with a ratchet and pawl brake. When the structure was rebuilt in 1966, the tarred timbers used in the frame were probably reused railway sleepers.

It was reported that the sluice was originally constructed as a replacement for a weir probably used to regulate the water flow for Bone Mill. Although the mill was no longer in use in the early 20th century, the sluice continued to be used to help regulate the water level in this section of the canalised river <3>. Its cast iron rack and pinion lifting mechanism was typical of 19th century canal engineering, and the paddles and cast iron work were thought to have been considerably older than the sluice's 20th century rebuilds.

Sources and further reading

Related Monuments

Associated Excavations and Fieldwork

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