Bray Lock

The stretch of river between Bray Lock  and the next one upstream - Boulters Lock – has for years been known as ‘millionaires row’.  Many a celebrity have lived (and probably still do) along the riverside here.

This lock here used to be operated only when river levels were low. During these times, the lock had to be closed to allow deeper channels to form. Only then could the commonly-seen barges make their way along the Thames. And, without river traffic there were no tolls paid to the mill owners.

Finally, a long term answer was found - a pound lock was built in 1845. In 1885 the Thames Conservancy built a substantial new lock. Hydraulics were installed in the 1960s and at the same time the manual beams were removed.

The lock chamber today is of Staffordshire blue brick  and if you look carefully, you can see the following marks carved in one of the blue bricks - JH 1885. It was in this year that the lock chamber was rebuilt by the Thames Conservancy.

Bray Lock attracts a wide variety of wildlife - red kites, kingfishers, lesser spotted woodpeckers, jays  along with the usual range of waterfowl.. On the ground are mink, and grass snakes swim frequently across the river here.

In nearby Bray are two of the country’s most famous restaurants – The Fat Duck, and The Waterside Inn.

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