Legendary England goalkeeper and Newbury MP at drained Aldermaston Lock

More than 1,000 people visited the lock, which had been drained, including ex-Arsenal and England keeper David Seaman, and Newbury MP, Richard Benyon.
After donning Wellingtons, visitors, including many families and children, experienced the rare chance to walk along the bottom of the lock, for a close look at one of the finest examples of working heritage in the world, according to the Canal & River Trust, which hosted the day.
Robin Hunter, construction supervisor for the Kennet & Avon Canal, who gave tours of the lock with members of his team, said he was delighted at the turnout and with the £300 received in donations for the trust.
He said: “It was quite a novelty for children to splash about in the bottom of a lock wearing the badges they made in the education activity tent.
“Showing around David Seaman and Richard Benyon was a real bonus – if only we’d had a football we could have had a penalty shoot-out in the bottom of the lock!”
Mr Benyon said he and other visitors heard of the lock’s history and of its restoration, including new English oak lock gates.
Mr Benyon praised the work of volunteers on the national canal network, which is owned by the trust, and said: “Last year there were 400,000 hours of volunteering.”
The lock was drained as part of a £60,000 restoration programme at Aldermaston, involving the work of skilled craftsmen.
The lock’s top gates have been refitted and repairs have been made to the lock chamber to make the gates easier to open.
Repairs have also been made to the bottom gates and the timber between the scalloped walls has been replaced.
The works, which started on January 12, are set to be completed by February 14.
One of 16 open days across England and Wales designed to showcase the work of the trust, experts were on hand throughout the day to answer questions from visitors.
The trust’s chief executive, Richard Parry, said: “The Canal & River Trust cares for a remarkable network of historic waterways which are still working just as they were designed to 200 years ago.
“Keeping them open and safe requires a huge amount of planning, investment and craftsmanship and involves a wide range of experts, from civil engineers and hydrologists to heritage experts and ecologists.