Teddington Lock

Teddington Lock is the name of a ship lock and a weir on the River Thames in London. About the weir lead two bridges for pedestrians crossing, connect the city parts Teddington and Ham, both located in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames each other.

It is the farthest inland point lying of the Thames, where the tides of the North Sea make you look more noticeable. Here ends also the responsibility of the Port Authority Port of London Authority. The lock itself is the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Ministry, the further upstream also monitors all ship traffic.

The construction of the oldest lock began in 1810 and was completed in 1812 with the completion of the weir. Built out of tree trunks lock was repaired in 1825 and 1858-1860 rebuilt by the application of a stone foundation. At that time a Skiffschleuse was added. 1869 was added a boat slide. Between 1904 and 1905, finally, the lock for barges was built, the largest of its kind on the entire river.

Between 1887 and 1889 they also built two pedestrian bridges: an iron girder bridge ham to the lock island in the middle of the river and a suspension bridge from the island to Teddington. This compound was financed by donations from local residents and entrepreneurs from the environment.

The lock is the venue of the famous Monty Python skits Fish - Slapping Dance.