Bingley Five-rise lock staircase is the most spectacular feature of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It is situated about half a mile north of Bingley Station, about 17 miles north west of Leeds and about 12 miles south east of Skipton.
A lock staircase is where the locks open directly from one to another, with the top gate of one forming the bottom gate of the next. This unique 5-rise staircase has a total rise of 60 feet.
The Leeds and Liverpool canal has many lock staircases of two or three locks each. Only a few hundred yards downstream is another staircase - this time a 3-rise flight, with a fall of 30 feet. The locks are supervised by a lock keeper and are closed at night. The Bingley 5-rise and 3-rise locks opened in 1774.
Looking west directly up the spectacular staircase of 5 locks at Bingley.
Looking west directly up the spectacular staircase of 5 locks at Bingley.
(A larger version of this picture can be found at
Pennine Waterways Computer Desktop Wallpaper page.)
A view of one of the empty lock chambers.
A side view of the locks showing the curved stonework between the locks.
Barry Whitelock, for many years well-known as the lock keeper at Bingley, watching carefully over boats in the locks.
Ratchet mechanism on "scissor" gate paddles at Bingley 5-rise locks.
Barry Whitelock operating a box clough ground paddle at Bingley 5-rise locks.
The view looking back down the 5 staircase locks with stone woollen mills at Bingley in the background.
Looking back down the 5 staircase locks.
The top lock of the five-rise staircase locks, looking east towards Bingley.
Interactive aerial view of the Bingley 5 Rise Locks from Google. You can move the image by clicking the arrows or clicking and dragging on the image.
Getting to the Bingley Five Rise Locks
By train: To Bingley Station then walk northwards along the canal past the Three Rise Locks.
By car: On-road parking available a short walk from the locks near the small roundabout on Beck Lane, off Park Road.
By train: To Bingley Station then walk northwards along the canal past the Three Rise Locks.
By car: On-road parking available a short walk from the locks near the small roundabout on Beck Lane, off Park Road.
