Brynich lock
Brynich lock
This lock was the first on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal to be restored after the canal fell into dereliction.
The lock was created when the canal was built c.1800. The section of canal which crosses the river Usk on the nearby Brynich aqueduct is lower than the final stretch of water into Brecon. Boats enter the lock chamber to be raised or lowered, so that they can proceed from one section to the other.
The last toll for movement of goods along the canal was paid in 1933. Later the waterway became impossible to navigate by boat, although it continued to be a water supply route. In 1952, three campaigners rowed across Brynich aqueduct to draw attention to the neglect and the canal’s potential as a leisure asset.
Volunteers were inspired to start restoring the canal in 1958. Three of them are shown in the photo of Brynich lock (courtesy of the archive of the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust). The lock’s reopening was a milestone on the route to the restoration of the canal between Brecon and Pontymoile, near Cwmbrȃn. It’s thanks to the volunteers’ dedication and hard work that we can enjoy cruising, walking and cycling along the canal today.
The bridge over the canal here is joined to the lock walls. The road continues across the river Usk on a five-arch stone bridge constructed in the late 18th century.
With thanks to the archive of the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust
Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust website
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