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Graving Dock, Stover Canal, 2019

Originally built as a normal lock, the Graving Dock lock was created by moving out the eastern wall and forming a ‘shelf’ on which barges could be taken out of the water for repairs to be made in a dry dock. A steam boiler allowed planks to be shaped to fit the hull and pitch was then used to seal it. In October 2019, splashes of pitch could still be seen at either end of the dock. We acknowledge the details provided by the Inland Waterways Association and the Stover Canal Trust in writing this.