FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE CHERTSEY MUSEUM
A scheme to build a lock at Chertsey was first proposed in 1793 but did not receive Parliamentary backing. Not to be deterred, a modified plan was submitted in 1805 to make a cut from the southern tip of Penton Hook to Chertsey Bridge, a distance of about 1.5 miles, and construct a poundlock but this too was rejected after resistance from local landowners.
Finally in 1810 an Act of Parliament was passed permitting a weir to be constructed “just above the tail of Chertsey Abbey Mill”, to retain water during the summer so that the shallows at Laleham would remain navigable, and a cut made to Dumsey with a poundlock. However, after opposition from Lord Lucan, who didn’t want the lock spoiling the views from his land, the proposed site was moved once more. The lock was eventually opened, on its current site, in 1812. A lock-house was built in which James Smith, the first lock-keeper, lived until his death in 1833.
Despite efforts by the local council to preserve it, the lock-keepers house was demolished by Thames Water in 1980.
Over the years, unavoidable wear and tear from boats and the river itself has caused deterioration of the lock chamber. As part of the Environment Agency’s commitment in maintaining the River’s many structures, which amounts to more than 2,000 assets on the River Thames alone, work commenced in November 2011 to extend the life of the lock by at least 30 years and return it to its former glory.