Second conservancy (1866)
In 1866 it was considered expedient to put the navigation of the whole of the river under one management It was said that the Thames Commissioners were too numerous, the locks and weirs on the River Thames were in a bad condition and income was insufficient to pay for maintenance. It was believed that under single management with the upper river maintained properly and with lower tolls overall the traffic would increase. On 6 August 1866, the Thames Navigation Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. 89) allowed the Thames Conservancy to take over management of the river from Cricklade to Yantlet Creek, a distance of 177 miles (285 km).
Under the act, all locks canals and other works of the commissioners were transferred to the conservancy. In addition provision was made for all weirs to be transferred to the Conservancy from private owners. Former owners of weirs were freed from liability but two weirs at Buscot and Eaton remained to the owner of Buscot Park. Most weirs belonged to the twenty eight water-mills still operating between Oxford and Staines and the entitlement to water of the mills, many of which dated back to Domesday Book, was recognised. No new flow of sewage into the river or its tributaries was allowed and existing sewage works were to be removed. New revenue was raised by a £1,000 per annum charge on each of the five water companies. The Southwark and Vauxhall, Grand Junction and West Middlesex water companies had set up their works at Hampton in the 1850s after it became illegal to take water from the Tideway. The Lambeth and Chelsea water companies had moved initially to Seething Wells but later relocated to East Molesey. Whereas the City of London owned the river bed for its part of the river, the Thames Commissioners did not and hence Thames Conservancy did not acquire the ownership of the river bed for the section above Staines which remained (and remains) the property of the riparian owners.
In August 1866 the conservancy inspected works between Oxford and Windsor and in October settled a table of tolls. Bell Weir Lock had collapsed in June and was rebuilt the following year. In 1868 tolls were placed on three of the four locks then above Oxford – St John's, Buscot and Pinkhill Locks. Rushey Lock was omitted and there were no tolls on the weirs. This reflects the poor state of navigation above Oxford. Some of the old locks on the rest of the river were still wooden pens and these were gradually renewed or replaced. Works completed in 1869 included the rebuilding of Romney Lock and the addition of a boat slide at Teddington. In 1870 Hambleden Lock and Benson Lock were rebuilt, followed by Day's Lock in 1871 and Godstow Lock in 1872. In the 1870s it is recorded that Teddington weir collapsed twice causing enormous damage.
In 1872 the conservancy promised to reopen navigation between Radcot and Newbridge by repairing Rushey Lock but in 1874 recognised that they lacked the funds to meet the promise. There were regular complaints at this time about the poor state of river particularly in upper reaches and the persistence of sewage.
Lock replacements continued with Shiplake and Cleeve in 1874, Caversham in 1875, Whitchurch in 1876 and Bell Weir in 1877. In 1883 the conservancy removed the lock at Chalmore Hole at Wallingford, after many years petitioning by residents of Wallingford for its retention. The weirs at Hambleden were built in 1884 and the public right of way across the river sustained by building the walkway. Bray Lock was rebuilt in 1885.
The Thames Preservation Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 76) was passed to enshrine the preservation of river for public recreation. It prohibited shooting on the river which had become a cause of concern. The act noted "It is lawful for all persons for pleasure or profit to travel or to loiter upon any and every part or the river" (apart from private cuts). The river had become exceedingly popular for sport and leisure. Many regattas or "aquatic fetes" had been instigated and Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat published in 1889 described a typical boating journey.
Lock replacements continued with Marsh in 1888, Temple in 1890 and Cookham in 1892 The first new lock was built at Radcot Lock in 1892, and Chertsey Lock was lengthened in 1893. A major work in 1894 was the Richmond Lock and weir complex built to ensure that there is always at least a 5 ft depth of water in the river between Richmond and Teddington.[1][2][3][4]
The (57 & 58 Vict. c. clxxxvii) consisted mainly of tidying up legislation. The conservancy finally addressed navigation above Oxford, replacing the existing weirs with locks and footbridges where there was a right of way. New locks were Grafton Lock and Northmoor Lock in 1896 and Shifford Lock in 1898. Also in 1898 the conservancy rebuilt Pinkhill and Rushey. Downstream, Boveney was rebuilt in 1898, with the old lock replaced by a boat slide and Shepperton was also rebuilt on a different alignment in 1899.
By the end of the 19th century the advance in the size of ships and the growth of the Port of London raised questions of management and a royal commission reported in 1900 recommending that a single body take responsibility for the port.
Meanwhile at Teddington, the barge lock, the largest lock on the river at 650 ft, was built in 1904–1905. Locks rebuilt in 1905 included Abingdon, St Johns, Sonning and Osney. Molesey Lock was replaced in 1906 and Mapledurham Lock in 1908.
