Teddington Launch Lock refurbishment taking longer than planned
21 July 2026 · By Boroughly editorial — AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
Work to refurbish the Teddington Launch Lock is progressing, but the project is taking longer than originally expected due to the complexity of the structure and the precision required.
The Environment Agency's contractor has been reinforcing damaged lock walls with steel rods — a phase that is now nearly complete — and is simultaneously building new concrete foundation walls. Steel recesses, known as quoins, have also been constructed into the lock walls to support the operation of the lock gates. The tolerances on some elements must be maintained to within plus or minus one millimetre, which has proved particularly demanding.
A key complication is the age of the lock, which is over 100 years old. Detailed scans carried out after the water was drained earlier this year revealed that parts of the structure had shifted from the original design records, meaning engineers have had to adapt their plans as work progresses.
While Teddington is a few miles upstream from Barnes, the lock is a key pinch point for river traffic on the non-tidal Thames, and its condition is of interest to anyone who uses the river for boating or rowing. The Richmond Council update does not yet give a revised completion date.