Barge Lock Appeal

Help Us Bring Back the Barge Lock

The Barge Lock Appeal has been launched by The Waterways Trust and is being fully backed and supported by The  Inland Waterways Association in order to raise £100,000 to restore the vital link in the centre of Droitwich Spa between one of England's oldest canals, the Droitwich Barge Canal, and one of its youngest, the Droitwich Junction Canal.

Over the years, the Barge Lock has fallen into disrepair and we need your help to restore it to its former glory.

Click here to go to the Barge Lock Appeal web site and make a secure on-line donation and help us bring the Barge Lock back to life.

The address for postal donations is

The Waterways Trust
Freepost ADM3972
Droitwich Canals Appeal
Droitwich
WR9 7ZF

The appeal is part of a larger project to restore the Droitwich Canals to full navigation and create a new 21-mile (34 km) navigation ring, which connects the River Severn with Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

We have another reason to look to your generous support; IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group have pledged to do much of the physical restoration work on the lock next summer, and so £100,000 must be raised in less than 12 months to give us the means for them to undertake this vital work.

Once the Barge Lock is restored, this gateway between the two historic canals can be opened once again to be enjoyed by boaters and all users of the waterway for generations to come.

£100,000 is urgently needed by summer 2008

What needs to be done

•           Construct and install new lock gates and gate paddles

•           Re-point brickwork in the lock chamber and install lock ladders

•           Repair coping stones and replace bullnose bricks

•           Install new bollards, pull bar and handrail

•           Repair cills and ground sluices

•           Remove over a metre of silt from the lock chamber

•           Refurbish the swing bridge over the lock

•           Install lock quadrants in Worcester & Birmingham Canal pattern

John Fletcher, IWA national chairman says: "I  urge all supporters of our canals and rivers to back this important appeal by IWA and The Waterways Trust and help us save a crucial piece of our waterways history."