2002:0021 - DRUMALEET: Chapel Lock, Antrim

In autumn 2002 an excavation took place at Lock 26 of the Lagan Canal near Aghagallon before landscaping work by the Rivers Agency on behalf of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and Craigavon Borough Council.

This section of canal, which connects Belfast and Lisburn with Lough Neagh, opened in 1794. Documentary evidence reveals that in 1884 the directors of the Lagan Navigation Company sought additional water to feed the summit level, as low summer levels were impeding clearance of the lock cills at either end. Lough Neagh offered a limitless supply of water. A small pump was installed at Ellis’s Gut to raise water from the lough into the reach above Lock 27. An American-made Worthington pump at Lock 26 then conveyed the water along the towpath in cast-iron pipes to the summit level, c. 2.5km beyond and 20m higher.

Pumping began in 1885 and continued during the summer months over the next 30 years. Operations ceased in around 1915, probably owing to high running costs. In 1917 the pipes were lifted, and in 1918 the Aghagallon pump-house was destroyed by fire. All salvageable items were removed for resale.

Excavation revealed the random-rubble foundations of the subrectangular building aligned parallel to the north side of the lock chamber and measuring 15.4m by 6.3m externally. Numerous fragments of brick indicated that the side walls were of brick. The roof was probably of corrugated iron, as only one fragment of slate was recovered. Inside the building was a large concrete plinth, undoubtedly an engine-mounting block. A small piece of cast-iron bar from the fire grate of the boiler was also recovered.

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