Balance lock

An experimental balance lock was built as part of the Dorset and Somerset Canal and work was started for four more, but the project failed for financial reasons and they were not completed.

In many respects, it was similar to those later built by James Green on the Grand Western Canal, which also used counterbalanced caissons.

Fussells design included guide rails running up the chamber, which steadied the caisson, and he used a separate chamber beneath the caisson to hold extra water, which made the top tank heavier, and thus provided the motive power to cause the lift to operate.

[2] The design of his balance lock formed the basis for a patent application, number 2284, which he obtained in 1798.

The Bath Chronicle carried a report of the test on 16 October, stating that the lift had been operated several times, without any difficulty or problems, and that engineers had inspected it carefully and declared themselves entirely satisfied.