Caen Hill Locks (also called the Devizes flight) climb the Kennet and Avon Canal west of Devizes in Wiltshire. Pronunciation first: Caen ≈ “cane” (/ˈkeɪn ˈhɪl/) — not the French town name. This page is a heritage location note for Bolinder fans: engineering facts kept careful, honest video curation, and soft links to the same canal’s pumping engines and to Bath Locks.
| Names | Caen Hill Locks / Devizes flight |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Kennet and Avon Canal |
| Place | Between Foxhangers/Rowde and Devizes, Wiltshire |
| Locks | 29 (numbers 22–50) |
| Famous middle | 16 locks (29–44) with large side pounds — not a true staircase |
| Rise (whole group) | About 237 ft (72 m) over roughly 2 miles (1 in 44) |
| Built | ~1810 (John Rennie / Kennet and Avon); restored after dereliction; QEII ceremonial reopening 1990 |
| Designation | Middle 16: scheduled monument (not UNESCO World Heritage) |
Three groups, not a staircase
The full group is usually described in three parts:
- Lower seven (locks 22–28) — more spaced, from Foxhangers toward the hill.
- Middle sixteen (locks 29–44) — the iconic straight flight up the hillside, with short pounds between chambers and unusually large side pounds to hold water. This stretch is a scheduled monument.
- Upper six (locks 45–50) — into Devizes.
Because each chamber has its own gates and (on the middle flight) a side pound, this is not a true staircase in the Foxton or Neptune’s Staircase sense, where chambers share gates and water steps directly from one lock into the next.
Longest? Steepest? Define the metric
Marketing copy sometimes calls Caen Hill the longest continuous flight. Treat that carefully: Tardebigge on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal is commonly cited as 30 locks — so “longest” is not an automatic win for the Devizes 29.
“Steepest” is also debated. Caen Hill’s whole group is about 237 ft in 2 miles (roughly 1 in 44). Comparisons with Bingley Five-Rise (a true staircase on the Leeds and Liverpool) only make sense if you say whether you mean rise per mile over a whole flight, concentration of chambers, or a single staircase structure. Different metrics pick different winners.
Built, derelict, restored — not “continuous 200 years”
The flight belongs to the Kennet and Avon work associated with John Rennie; the Caen Hill locks opened around 1810. The canal later fell into dereliction. Volunteer and British Waterways restoration brought traffic back; the wider canal’s ceremonial reopening is associated with HM The Queen in 1990 (Queen Elizabeth II Lock is among the named chambers on the flight). So the engineering is early nineteenth century, but navigation here was not continuous for two hundred years.
We do not claim UNESCO World Heritage status for Caen Hill. The careful heritage label for the middle sixteen is scheduled monument.
Water, Crofton, Claverton
Short pounds need stored water: the middle flight’s side pounds are the visible answer. Summit and back-pumping on the Kennet and Avon also matter network-wide — soft Bolinder-adjacent hooks include the historic beam engines at Crofton Pumping Station (summit supply east of the flight) and Claverton (waterwheel pumping toward Bath and the western pounds). Hire-fleet diesels murmur through the chambers today; a hot-bulb Bolinder would be a different soundtrack.
Video — at Caen Hill
This clip is excellent for place and atmosphere. We do not claim the craft shown are Bolinder-powered unless the uploader says so. Engine type is usually modern diesel.
Video — Bolinder sound stand-ins
Many Bolinder installations reverse by changing engine rotation rather than using a modern gearbox. Reverse can be unreliable when the engine is not hot and hard, so crews often strap with ropes in locks. On a long flight with short pounds, heat management and line discipline matter even more than on a quiet pound.
These films show Bolinder character on other waters (and in the engine room). They are here so you can hear the iron and watch lock technique — not because they were shot at Caen Hill. We have not found a widely indexed Bolinder-at-Caen-Hill film to embed.
Have you filmed a Bolinder at Caen Hill?
Public search (as of mid-2026) turns up strong Caen Hill films and strong Bolinder films, but not a widely indexed clip that is clearly both. If you have phone or camera footage of a Bolinder working this flight — especially with audible exhaust between the side pounds — please get in touch via the Contact page so we can credit and embed it. We will not invent such a film.
FAQ
How do you pronounce Caen Hill?
Caen ≈ “cane” — IPA /ˈkeɪn ˈhɪl/. Canal folk say it like the walking stick, not like Caen in Normandy.
Is it the longest lock flight in Britain?
Not automatically. Caen Hill / Devizes is 29 locks (22–50). Tardebigge is commonly cited as 30. Prefer “one of the longest” and name the count.
Is it a staircase flight?
No — not in the Foxton / Neptune’s Staircase sense. The famous middle sixteen have short pounds and large side pounds; each lock is still its own chamber with gates, not a shared-gate staircase.
Have the locks been in continuous use for 200 years?
No. Built around 1810, later derelict, then restored; the canal’s ceremonial reopening is associated with HM The Queen in 1990.
Was a Bolinder filmed here?
Not in any widely indexed public film we are willing to claim. The DownieLive embed shows the place; the Spey / pair / reverse clips are Bolinder sound and craft from elsewhere. See Sound & video. If you have true Bolinder-at-Caen-Hill footage, use Contact.
Is Caen Hill a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
We do not claim that. The middle sixteen are a scheduled monument. (Pontcysyllte on this site is the UNESCO canal aqueduct — a different place.)
Visit notes
- Excellent towpath viewing of the middle flight; allow time — boats can take 5–6 hours for all 29.
- Foxhangers sits at the western / lower approach; Devizes at the top.
- Film and photograph with courtesy: keep clear of gate beams and working crews.
- This is not a navigation guide. Check Canal & River Trust notices for stoppages and water levels.
Practical notes for Bolinder crews
- Long flight: plan heat and reverse before you commit to the middle sixteen.
- Short pounds: communication between bow and stern matters; the exhaust note carries between chambers.
- Prefer strapping if reverse is unreliable when cold.
- Hire diesel murmur is the common soundtrack here; a hot-bulb thud would stand out — and we still want real film if you make it.
Sources for engineering facts include Caen Hill Locks (Wikipedia) and Canal & River Trust place notes. Scheduled-monument wording refers to the middle sixteen.
Related: Bath Locks (same canal) · Sound & video · Not Bolinder · Hot-bulb history