History of the Double Locks

Exeter shipping canal is one of the oldest in the country.

Double Locks themselves are the longest in the country, 95m long and 8m wide. They are called Double Locks as they can accommodate two ships at once. The mast of HMS Exeter forms part of the lock gates.

Also evident at the front of the pub along the ‘snail wall’ are the rails running parallel to the lock which were used to tow smaller craft to bypass the lock itself.

The original ‘Double Locks’ was built in 1701 as a lock house. However, the ‘Double Locks’ we know today was remodelled in 1827 by James Green when he extended the canal. It is said that he used part of the original brickwork evident in the two types of brick you can see on the front of the building. This ‘Double Locks’ did not include the current conservatory and toilet block as these were added in the early 1980s by the present landlord.

The primary function of the Double Locks was as a lockkeeper’s cottage and stabling for the horses used to tow the barges along the canal. The barn bar outside is a likely candidate for the stables.

Later on the ‘Double Locks’ became a pub. Firstly a freehouse, then a Smiles pub before smiles sold to Youngs in 2001.

The name ‘Double Locks’ is confusing as it is actually a single lock. It can, however, accommodate two ships at once due to its enormous size therefore ‘Double Locks’.

In the 1930s the lock keeper at the Double Locks found a human leg wrapped in a parcel. A second search produced the other leg, however, when police divers went looking in the canal for the rest of the body, none was found leading them to suspect medical students.