Looking Under the Bridge to Pigeons Lock 39.
Take away the dog bin, and the modern signage, this shot is almost timeless. This is Pigeons Lock 39 on the Oxford Canal, immediately by an Occupation Bridge number 213.
The Oxford Canal is known for its wooden lift bridges, but there are also a fair number of stone accommodation bridges like this one. Several are paired with locks in a similar arrangement to this. Sadly, some of these bridges have been sprayed with a concrete coating.
These locks on the southern part of the Oxford are unusual in that they have a single bottom gate, instead of the normal pair. This was due to the company running short on money when they were building the canal and this, along with the wooden lift bridges, was one of the cost-saving measures.
I have converted this image to monochrome so that you can appreciate the history of our canals. You can almost expect a horse to pull its fully loaded work boat out of Pigeons Lock 39 and under the bridge!
Photograph Details:
- Taken: 11 Oct 2017
- Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10 MkIIA
- Lens: Olympus 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6
- Focal Length 35mm
- F/5.6
- 1/160 Sec
- ISO 200