Cookham Lock

The navigation route was formerly down Hedsor Water and the only weir was associated with the mill. After the building of Marlow Lock in 1773 there were problems with shallow water upstream of Cookham, and the earliest suggestions were for a stop at Cookham to hold the water back. In 1794 it was considered one of the most dangerous parts on the river, mainly on account of chalk boulders falling into the Thames. Plans for a lock and cut were formulated in 1807, but seven years later, the City of London were complaining that no action had been taken. In 1826, a barge carrying stone for Westminster ran aground, swung across the channel, and broke in two, resulting in the loss of the cargo,…

There is a road from Cookham to Formosa Island and the lock; the road is public for pedestrians, but gated for authorised vehicles only. Access from the Thames Path requires a near 1 km walk across Odney Common on Formosa Island and Mill Eyot to Sashes Island, returning by the same route; the Thames Path bypasses the lock and islands due to several historic ferries no longer operating.