The Berkshire Record Society

The minutes contained in these volumes cover the first twenty years of the Commission’s existence, during which it undertook a number of major projects to transform the navigation of the Thames. The old cumbersome and inefficient flash locks were replaced by pound locks, weirs were replaced and the towing path improved, and regulations were put in place to improve the safety of barges using the river. The committee minutes often provide detailed information about the construction of locks. An appendix contains the detailed accounts of John Treacher, surveyor of the Navigation, for the building of Day’s Lock in 1788-1789.