Locks on the Canal du Midi explained

There are 91 working locks on the Canal du Midi along its 240km (150miles) course from the Bassin du Thau on the Mediterranean coast to the junction with the Canal lateral a la Garonne in Toulouse. There are a further 13 locks on the 37km (23miles) La Nouvelle branch which runs through Narbonne to the Mediterranean at Port-la-Nouvelle.[1] The locks are all under the management of the French navigation authority, Voies navigables de France.

Construction

The Canal du Midi was built between 1666 and 1681 by Pierre-Paul Riquet to provide an inland water route through Southern France between the Atlantic at Bordeaux and the Mediterranean at Sète via the Garonne. The first design for the locks on the canal was a rectangular shape however due to a collapse of a side-wall early in the building program (exactly which lock is not recorded), Riquet modified his plans and rebuilt both existing and new locks with an ovoid chamber. They were typically 11m wide at the midpoint and 6m at the gates with an overall length of 30.5m. Riquet also restricted the maximum rise to 2.9m so whereas previously he would have built one deep lock he instead used intermediate gates creating double, triple and sometimes quadruple chambers. During the Canal du Midi modernisation program of the 1970s several of these multiple chambers were converted into single "deep" locks with concrete side walls.

The lock gates were originally made of oak in the traditional mitre pattern with balance beams and each gate had a single large wooden sluice drawn up by a vertical screw. The introduction of electric and hydraulic systems for both the lifting of the sluices and the opening of the gates has seen the removal of the balance beams and modern gates are of metal construction.

At each lock there is a double-fronted two-storey lock keeper's house upon which is fixed either a cast iron or a masonry sign showing the name of the lock and the name and distance to the adjacent locks in each direction. The locks are still operated by lock keepers and passage is only possible when they are in attendance however on La Nouvelle branch operation by boaters is allowed. The locks are open every day except 1 January, 11 November and 25 December, from 08:00 until 17:30 out of season and 08:00 until 19:00 in the summer peak; all locks are closed 12:30 – 13:30 for lunch.[2]

Profile

At its western end, Toulouse, the canal is at an altitude of 132m (433feet) and climbs to 193m (633feet) at its summit level between Ocean Lock and Mediterranee Lock west of Castelnaudary before dropping down to sea level at Sète.[3] The graph shows the profile of the Canal du Midi from Toulouse (1), through the summit of the canal at Seuil de Naurouze (2), Castelnaudary (3), then Carcassonne (4) and Trèbes (5). The channel continues to Béziers just after Fonsérannes Lock (6), and then on to Agde (7) before flowing in to the Bassin de Thau at Sète (8).

At 193m (633feet), Naurouze is the highest point of the canal with a drop of 57.18m (187.6feet) between the summit and Toulouse and 189.43m (621.49feet) between the summit and Sète. The longest pound is 53.49km (33.24miles) between Argens Lock (Aude) and the Fonsérannes Lock (Hérault) while the shortest reach is 250m (820feet) between two locks at Fresquel.[4]

Locks

The following list numbers the locks from the Canal lateral a la Garonne in the west to the Bassin du Thau in the east. Staircase locks are listed as a single entity but the number of individual chambers in the flight is noted. Travelling west to east from Toulouse to Sète the locks numbered 1–18 are ascending and 19–86 are descending. Castanet lock is the first lock with an elliptical chamber, as Riquet realised it was the best fit solution due to mechanical stress from surrounding areas.[5]

Locks in the Canal du Midi
Lock
number		Lock nameCoordinates
(links to maps
and satellite images)		Number of
chambers		Distance
from Toulouse
(km)		ImageAltitude
(metres)
align=center 1Béarnais Lock43.6121°N 1.4256°Walign=center 1align=center 1.1135m
align=center 2Minimes Lock43.6158°N 1.436°Walign=center 1align=center 2139m
align=center 3Bayard Lock43.6108°N 1.453°Walign=center 1align=center 3.6145m
align=center 4Castanet Lock43.5236°N 1.5187°Walign=center 1align=center 15.7148m
align=center 5Vic Lock43.511°N 1.5173°Walign=center 1align=center 17.4151m
align=center 6Montgiscard Lock43.4631°N 1.5705°Walign=center 1align=center 24.9155m
align=center 7Aygues-Vives Lock43.4467°N 1.5993°Walign=center 1align=center 28.1159m
align=center 8 - 9Sanglier Lock43.4396°N 1.6124°Walign=center 2align=center 29.6163m
align=center 10Négra Lock43.4185°N 1.641°Walign=center 1align=center 33.3166m
align=center 11 - 12Laval Lock43.3985°N 1.6795°Walign=center 2align=center 37.5170m
align=center 13Gardouch Lock43.3916°N 1.6918°Walign=center 1align=center 38.9173m
align=center 14Renneville Lock43.3831°N 1.7276°Walign=center 1align=center 43.0176m
align=center 15 - 16Encassan Lock43.3689°N 1.756°Walign=center 2align=center 45.9185m
align=center 17Emborrel Lock43.3631°N 1.7731°Walign=center 1align=center 47.5189m
align=center 18Océan Lock43.3553°N 1.8181°Walign=center 1align=center 51.6193m
align=center style="color:transparent;" 51.5Summit (Seuil de Naurouze)43.3553°N 1.8181°Walign=center 52193m
align=center 19Méditerranée Lock43.3302°N 1.8618°Walign=center 1align=center 56.6193m
align=center 20-21Roc Lock43.3287°N 1.8705°Walign=center 2align=center 57.5189m
align=center 22 -24Laurens Lock43.3252°N 1.885°Walign=center 3align=center 58.7180m
align=center 25Domergue Lock43.323°N 1.8988°Walign=center 1align=center 59.7175m
align=center 26Laplanque Lock43.3209°N 1.9137°Walign=center 1align=center 60.9173m
align=center 27 - 30Saint-Roch Lock43.3118°N 1.9611°Walign=center 4align=center 65.4170m
align=center 31 - 32Gay Lock43.3052°N 1.9776°Walign=center 2align=center 67.1159m
align=center 33 - 35Vivier Lock43.2975°N 1.9941°Walign=center 3align=center 68.7154m
align=center 36Guilhermin Lock43.2961°N 1.9994°Walign=center 1align=center 69.1147m
align=center 37Saint-Sernin Lock43.2932°N 2.0051°Walign=center 1align=center 69.7145m
align=center 38Guerre Lock43.2901°N 2.0158°Walign=center 1align=center 70.6141m
align=center 39Peyruque Lock43.2867°N 2.0284°Walign=center 1align=center 71.7139m
align=center 40Criminelle Lock43.2853°N 2.0342°Walign=center 1align=center 72.2137m
align=center 41Tréboul Lock43.2802°N 2.0498°Walign=center 1align=center 73.6134m
align=center 42Villepinte Lock43.274°N 2.0941°Walign=center 1align=center 77.4130m
align=center 43Sauzens Lock43.2654°N 2.1098°Walign=center 1align=center 79127m
align=center 44Bram Lock43.2583°N 2.1201°Walign=center 1align=center 80.3126m
align=center 45Béteille Lock43.2355°N 2.18°Walign=center 1align=center 85.9123m
align=center 46Villeséquelande Lock43.2348°N 2.2458°Walign=center 1align=center 93.4122m
align=center 47 - 48Lalande Lock43.2392°N 2.2858°Walign=center 2align=center 98.2116m
align=center 49Herminis Lock43.2373°N 2.2883°Walign=center 1align=center 98.5114m
align=center 50Ladouce Lock43.2295°N 2.3011°Walign=center 1align=center 99.9109m
align=center 51Carcassonne Lock43.2174°N 2.3516°Walign=center 1align=center 105.5106m
align=center 52Saint-Jean Lock43.2323°N 2.375°Walign=center 1align=center 108.0102m
align=center 53 - 54Fresquel Double Lock43.2384°N 2.3746°Walign=center 2align=center 108.897m
align=center 55Fresquel Single Lock43.2408°N 2.3796°Walign=center 1align=center 109.092m
align=center 56Evêque Lock43.2356°N 2.4133°Walign=center 1align=center 112.691m
align=center 57Villedubert Lock43.2297°N 2.4133°Walign=center 1align=center 113.486m
align=center 58 - 60Trèbes Lock43.2068°N 2.4493°Walign=center 3align=center 11884m
align=center 61Marseillette Lock43.2056°N 2.5497°Walign=center 1align=center 127.279m
align=center 62 - 64Fonfile Lock43.2108°N 2.5849°Walign=center 3align=center 130.476m
align=center 65 - 66Saint-Martin Lock43.2173°N 2.5969°Walign=center 2align=center 131.667m
align=center 67 - 68Aiguille Lock43.2296°N 2.6059°Walign=center 2align=center 133.459m
align=center 69 - 70Puichéric Lock43.2309°N 2.6384°Walign=center 2align=center 136.457m
align=center 71Jouarres Lock43.2619°N 2.6863°Walign=center 1align=center 142.749m
align=center 72Homps Lock43.2699°N 2.7298°Walign=center 1align=center 146.446m
align=center 73 - 74Ognon Lock43.2698°N 2.7386°Walign=center 2align=center 147.141m
align=center 75 - 76Pechlaurier Lock43.2502°N 2.757°Walign=center 2align=center 149.838m
align=center 77Argens Lock43.2398°N 2.7792°Walign=center 1align=center 152.332m
align=center 78Fonserannes Lock43.3306°N 3.1997°Walign=center 6 (+2 unused)align=center 206.632m
align=center 79Orb Lock43.3353°N 3.2154°Walign=center 1align=center 208.012m
align=center 80Béziers Lock43.3334°N 3.2214°Walign=center 1align=center 208.4
align=center 81Ariège Lock43.3225°N 3.2655°Walign=center 1align=center 212.59m
align=center 82Villeneuve Lock43.3177°N 3.2805°Walign=center 1align=center 213.86m
align=center 83Portiragnes Lock43.3048°N 3.3293°Walign=center 1align=center 218.35m
align=center 84Agde Round Lock43.3203°N 3.4676°Walign=center 1align=center 231.44m
align=center 85Prades Lock43.326°N 3.4778°Walign=center 1align=center 232.93m
align=center 86Bagnas Lock43.3143°N 3.4989°Walign=center 1align=center 235.32m

See also

Notes

Lock numbers are as given in the appendix of the 1994 edition From Sea to Sea by L.T.C. Rolt

The flight at Fonserannes was "replaced" by a water slope in 1984 hence the single "lock number". However, the slope has never worked and the 6 flight staircase remains the only way to pass through meaning that there are 91 locks but only 86 numbers.

Chamber has three sets of gates, the third being the junction with the branch descente dans l'Hérault

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rolt, L. T. C. . L. T. C. Rolt . From Sea to Sea: An Illustrated History of the Canal du Midi . Allen Lane . 1973 . 0713904712.
  2. Web site: Les horaires de navigation . 2008-10-25 . Voies navigables de France website .
  3. Web site: Toutes les Écluses du Canal du Midi . 2008-10-25 . canaldumidi.com .
  4. René Gast, Le canal du Midi et les voies navigables de l'Atlantique à la Méditerranée, éditions Ouest-France, 2000,, p. 22
  5. Web site: fr . Une écluse à Castanet-Tolosan . . canaldumidi.com . 2017-03-28 .

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