Tardebigge Locks

It raises the waterway 220 feet (67 m), and lies between the Tardebigge tunnel (580 yards or 530 metres long) to the North and the Stoke Prior flight of six narrow locks to the South.

The Tardebigge vertical lift was invented by John Woodhouse and installed at his own expense, with excavation and masonry provided by the company.

Finished on 24 June 1808, it was housed in a covered shed and used a fixed counterweight of bricks, connected by a set of eight parallel chains and pulleys.

The original steam engine has been removed, and the building has since been reused as a restaurant and night club at various times.

[2] There is a detailed history by Revd Alan White in his book The Worcester and Birmingham Canal.