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Godstow Lock

Godstow Lock is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Godstow Lock rather than just read about it. In short: Godstow Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is between the villages of Wolvercote and Wytham on the outskirts of Oxford.

Godstow Lock — main illustration
Godstow Lock — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Godstow Lock belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Godstow Lock to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Godstow Lock from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Godstow Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is between the villages of Wolvercote and Wytham on the outskirts of Oxford. The first lock was built of stone by Daniel Harris for the Thames Navigation Commission in 1790. It is the lock furthest upstream on the river which has mechanical (electro-hydraulic) operation – every lock upstream of Godstow utilises manual beam operation instead. The main weir is a short way upstream but there is another weir at Godstow Bridge just above The Trout Inn. These feed into a backwater (Wolvercote Mill Stream) which has come from above King's Lock by Wolvercote.

History Prior to the construction of the lock, Godstow Bridge served as a form of lock, which remained in service for some time after the construction of Godstow Lock in 1790. After the lock was constructed there were complaints about the raising of the water levels and the effect this had on the meadows upstream at Pixey Mead. After some years of dilapidation, the lock underwent major repair in 1872. River users would often avoid the lock by navigating up the stream past Wolvercote. The lock house was built around 1896 on condition that it sold no refreshments to protect the interests of The Trout Inn. Previously the lock-keeper had lived on a houseboat. The lock was last rebuilt in 1924.

Access to the lock The lock is a short way from Godstow Bridge and can be reached on foot from there.

Reach above the lock Beside the lock at Godstow are the ruins of Godstow Nunnery. Above the lock, the river is crossed by Godstow Bridge and the A34 Road Bridge carrying the Oxford By-pass. Upstream of Godstow the river becomes narrower and more winding as it passes Pixey Mead. The Thames Path continues on the western side to King's Lock.

Literature and the media In the meadows near the lock, an Oxford mathematics tutor Charles Lutwidge Dodgson used to have picnics with his friend Dean Henry Liddell and his daughters Lorina, Alice and Edith. Here he made up a story which began

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank and having nothing to do..... when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her..."

See also Locks on the River Thames

Sources Davies, Mark; Robinson, Catherine (2003) [2001]. A Towpath Walk in Oxford. Oxford: Oxford Towpath Press. ISBN 0-9535593-1-9. Thacker, Fred. S. (1968) [1920]. The Thames Highway: Volume II Locks and Weirs. Newton Abbot: David and Charles.

External links Godstow Lock Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine at riverthames.co.uk Picture of Godstow Lock at geograph.org.uk

References

Illustrations

Godstow Lock illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Godstow Lock

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Godstow Lock claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Godstow Lock before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Godstow Lock ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Godstow Lock

In research
Godstow Lock appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Godstow Lock in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Godstow Lock is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1790 establishments in England, Buildings and structures completed in 1924, Buildings and structures in Oxford, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Godstow Lock outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Godstow Lock in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Godstow Lock means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Godstow Lock out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Godstow Lock in simple terms?

Godstow Lock is a lock on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, England. It is between the villages of Wolvercote and Wytham on the outskirts of Oxford.

Why does Godstow Lock matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Godstow Lock?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Godstow Lock.

Tags

  • 1790 establishments in England
  • Buildings and structures completed in 1924
  • Buildings and structures in Oxford
  • Locks of Oxfordshire
  • Locks on the River Thames
  • Transport in Oxford

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