Fourteen Locks
Lock 11, February 2005. The "shelves", of unequal depth, to either side of the chamber are a unique feature, but information about their purpose is now lost.
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| Waterway | Crumlin Arm (Monmouthshire canal) |
|---|---|
| Operation | Manual |
| First built | 1799 |
| Length | 64 feet 9 inches (19.7 m) |
| Width | 9 feet 2 inches (2.79 m) |
| Fall | 160 feet (49 m) |
| Partially restored | |
Fourteen Locks (grid reference ST277886) is a series of locks, also known as the Cefn Flight, on the Crumlin arm of the Monmouthshire Canal at Rogerstone in Newport, South Wales. The flight of locks was completed in 1799 and raises the water level 160 ft (50 m) in just 800 yd (740 m). This is one of the steepest rises for a major run in the UK which, combined with the sheer number of locks, makes it one of the most significant in the country. The run of locks includes a series of embanked ponds, pounds, sluices and weirs to control the water supply, with no set of gates shared between individual locks. It therefore comprises a flight of locks rather than a lock staircase.
The Monmouthshire Canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in June 1792, and consisted of a main line from Newport to Pontnewynydd, which would eventually join up with the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal once that was built, and a branch running from Crindai, now called Malpas, to Crumlin. Both sections were heavily locked, the main line rising 435 feet (133 m) through 41 locks, and the branch rising 358 feet (109 m) through 32 locks. The Rogerstone flight on the Crumlin Branch had the largest number of locks. The branch also had seven at Aber-carn and five at Allt-yr-ynn. Thomas Dadford, Jr. was appointed as the engineer for the project, although he was also working on the Glamorganshire Canal and the Leominster Canal at the time. The canal opened in phases, and by the time the main line opened in February 1796, most of the Crumlin Branch was finished apart from the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) section from Rogerstone to Allt-yr-ynn, which included the lock flight. The company officially announced that the work was complete in April 1799.
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