Victoria Lock: other artefacts

The entrance

Stone steps to the lough east of the lower gate

The lamp with its sliding red pane

Why is the red pane, which I presume to be the business end of the lamp, on the landward side rather than on the upstream or downstream side where boats could see it?

The winch

Close-up

The winch seems to have operated this, but what is it and what did it do?

Had it anything to do with this tunnel? And what was the tunnel for?

A solitary sluice/rack/paddle mechanism stands close to the entrance to the lock site, well away from the lock

It has a hydraulic box of tricks, so it must still be used for something. But what? Could the water from the tunnel (above) be flowing down this way for some reason?

Perhaps the handle is a later addition …. The wheel has “OPEN” and “SHUT” written on it

There’s a number on the base of the bowl, which John Ditchfield says is the identification number for the pattern that the foundry would have used to make the casting

The centre gate recess on the east side …

… has two posts that were presumably intended to support something. But what? And why?

There is one mechanism on the east (lough) side of the lock

I presume it would allow the lock to be drained to the lough if the gate racks were not working

It too has been hydraulicised, so I imagine it’s still important

What’s PPE (apart from Philosophy, Politics and Economics)?

Another number whose significance I know not; perhaps this too is the foundry’s identification number for the casting