Lock 21

Lock 21 - Peterborough Lift Lock

In 1904, when the lock first opened, it set several benchmarks.  It was the first lock built of concrete… the largest structure built with no reinforcing in the concrete (there’s about 26,000 cubic yards of concrete here)… and it was the world’s largest lift lock.  This last record stood for nearly 90 years.  Locks built in Germany in 1993 have a vertical lift nearly double the Peterborough lock.

The Hydraulic Rams are 7 1/2 Feet in Diameter

An Engineering Marvel Since it Opened in the Pouring Rain July 9, 1904.

Still this is an amazing structure… and it remains the world’s largest hydraulic lift lock… a sight that marvels visitors from far and wide… and an efficient way to keep the traffic moving on the WaterWay.

Two 140-foot-long caissons raise and lower the boats.  Each one holds more than 225,000 gallons, and weighs 1,700 tons.  They work in tandem.  As one descends, the other rises.  When one caisson reaches the upper level it’s filled with an extra foot of water that weighs 144 tons and that extra weight is what lifts the other caisson up… traveling 65 feet in about 10 minutes.

Boaters will find quiet overnight mooring on the upstream side of the lock… and the shops and services, restaurants and entertainment of Peterborough’s downtown is a 10-minute walk away.  The Peterborough Lift Lock Visitor Centre is right at the lock, with lots of information on how it works and its history, along with washrooms.