Richmond Lock and Footbridge
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| Waterway | River Thames |
|---|---|
| County | Greater London |
| Maintained by | Port of London Authority |
| First built | 1894 |
| Length | 250 feet (76.2 m) |
| Width | 26 feet 8 inches (8.1 m) |
| Fall | Half tide lock (10 feet (3 m)) |
| Above sea level | 0 |
| Heritage status | Grade II* listed structure |
| Coordinates | 51°27′44″N 0°19′02″W / 51.46222°N 0.31722°WCoordinates: 51°27′44″N 0°19′02″W / 51.46222°N 0.31722°W |
Richmond Lock and Footbridge is a lock and pedestrian bridge, situated on the River Thames in south west London, England and is a Grade II* listed structure. It is the furthest downstream of all the Thames locks and is the only one owned and operated by the Port of London Authority. It was opened in 1894 and is situated close to the centre of Richmond in the south western suburbs of London. It connects Richmond on the east bank with the neighbouring district of St. Margarets on the west bank during the day, but is now closed at night to pedestrians - after 19:30 GMT or after 21:30 when BST is in use.
The Richmond lock and weir complex was built between 1891 and 1894 by the Thames Conservancy to maintain a navigable depth of water upstream of Richmond. This then ensures that there is always at least a 1.72m depth of water in the River between Richmond and Teddington. In 1908 an Act transferred responsibility for the Thames from a point 350 yards (320 m) below Teddington Lock to the Port of London Authority, and this included Richmond Lock.
When the old London Bridge was demolished in 1832, the removal of the palisades, constructed to protect the bridge, resulted in the tides on the Thames rising and falling far more rapidly than they had done. This, together with dredging of the lower river, meant that for long periods the Thames at Twickenham and Richmond was little more than a stream running through mudbanks. In 1890, after many years of petitioning, an act of parliament was enacted to build a half-lock and weir downstream of Richmond Bridge (Richmond Footbridge, Sluice, Lock and Slipway Act 1890).
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