News | Canal & River Trust event
Selby Civic Society
stimulating public interest in, and caring for, the beauty, history and character of the town and its surroundings
Canal & River Trust event
Heritage Open Day: Naburn Locks, on the River Ouse six miles from York, is a hidden Gem that needs to be explored by all who visit the area.
In the 1750s, to improve navigation on this flood-prone river, two John Smiths (father and son) built a lock and weir combination that is the most impressive piece of engineering on any English navigation before 1760. It created an island which then had a watermill built upon it. In 1823 the Trustees of the Ouse Navigation built the fine-looking Greek Revival Banqueting House nearby. Further work took place in Victorian times when a new larger lock was built alongside the original one. This was opened in 1888 by Prince Albert Victor and at the same time two lock-keepers’ cottages and a range of offices and workshops were built.