lock

Canal lock, built c. 1790, on circular line of Grand Canal. Comprising two pairs of mitre gates with timber foot-boards and balance beams, set within cut limestone lock chamber, having limestone copings and splayed end to west. Lock-gate emplacements to walls to east set of gates. Cast-iron tie-rings to walls. Timber mooring posts and cast-iron winding mechanisms to north and south tow paths. Located to east of Portobello Harbour.

One of a group of locks designed to raise and lower boats between different levels on the canal system, a high level of skill and artisanship is evident in the execution of the stonemasonry and cast-ironwork. It is of considerable technical interest, notably through the retention of early mechanisms to the lock gates. The use of cut stone and a shared design creates a sense of unity on the structures along the system. The canal originally terminated at the City Basin off James's Street, and the Circular Line, connecting the system with the Grand Canal Docks at Ringsend, was only completed in the 1790s. The canal network developed in the late eighteenth century and encouraged the commercialization and industrialization of the country. This composition, which remains in working order, is a reminder of Ireland's civil engineering heritage.