Locks: River Soar (Grand Union) 41 - 59

The Grand Union Canal - Leicester Section & River Soar runs for 66 miles through 59 locks from Norton Junction on the Grand Union Main Line in the south to the River Trent at Trent Lock in the north. The locks at the southern end up to Foxton are single width and the remainder are double width. The Foxton section is one of the pinch points that mean broadbeam craft cannot travel from north to south and vice versa. The other pinch points are in the Birmingham area.

The River Soar section is 40 miles long and was opened to navigation down to Loughborough in 1778. In the early days it was known as the Loughborough navigation and was extremely prosperous.

The Grand Union Canal was formed in 1929 from many separate canal systems and consists of:

- Grand Union Main Line
- Grand Union Leicester Section
- River Soar
- Erewash Canal
- Northampton Arm
- Aylesbury Arm
- Wendover Arm
- Slough Arm
- Paddington Arm

The lock numbering runs from 1 at the southern end up to 59 at the northern end; this is why the locks are numbered from 60 upwards on the Erewash canal which became part of the Grand Union in 1929.

Lock 41 - Freemans Meadow lock




Lock 42 - North lock (4' 7")




Lock 43 - Limekiln lock (4' 3")




Lock 44 - Belgrave lock (3' 11")




Lock 45 - Birstall lock (3' 4")




Lock 46 - Thurmaston lock (3' 2")




Lock 47 - Junction lock (4' 9")




Lock 48 - Cossington lock (5' 3")


Lock 49 - Sileby lock (4' 6")




Lock 50 - Mountsorrel (4' 1")





Lock 51 - Barrow Deep lock (9' 7")





Lock 52 - Pillings flood lock




Lock 53 Loughborough lock (6' 9")





Lock 54 - Bishop Meadow lock (8' 7")



Lock 55 - Zouch lock (6' 4")




Lock 56 - Kegworth Deep lock (12' 0")








Lock 57 - Kegworth Shallow flood lock








Lock 58 - Ratcliffe lock




Lock 59 - Redhill flood lock




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