‘In 1852 a survey found “Ensham Weir in a state totally unfit to pass barges, and the waterway very inadequate to pass floods”. A new weir, designed for river control, was not built until 1886 by the Thames Conservancy on the site of the present weir which was last rebuilt in 1993. Prior to the building of the pound lock in 1928, larger boats still passed up or downstream on a flash of water through a single beamed gate at one side of the weir operated by a uniformed lock keeper. There was a timetable for operating flashes: for Eynsham it was at 5 pm on Mondays and 8 pm on Thursdays. Smaller craft could pass at any time using the boat rollers which allowed craft to be hauled over the weir without a flash of water.’
Maureen McCreadie - extract from ‘A History of the River Thames at Eynsham’ (opens in new window).