The Keeper’s House at Iffley Lock, Oxfordshire, England

Whenever I visit a new place, I walk. I walk, and walk, and walk – exploring, gawking, and getting to know a place as far as my feet will carry me. Public footpaths and trails in England make this very easy and the paths along the Thames River provide the perfect mix of town and country, of scenic landscape and picturesque buildings. The keeper’s house at Iffley Lock is a favorite, combining lovely gardens with a compact stone cottage.

Iffley Lock is a lock on the River Thames near the village of Iffley, in Oxfordshire, England. The lock itself dates to 1632 and the first lock keeper’s house was built in 1810.

Severe flooding along the Thames in 1924 forced reconstruction of everything at Iffley Lock. A new toll bridge, keeper’s house, and graceful stone bridge were built.

Great ceremony accompanied the reopening of the lock, with Lord Desbourough (then the chairman of the Thames Conservancy) presiding over the festivties.

I spent a weekend in college traveling just a tiny bit of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal (and I am sure everyone who passed through the locks after our boat cursed soundly), and it was a wonderful experience. The life of the lock keeper, though, is certainly no holiday, and I imagine its ranks have ebbed over the years. I must admit, though, when I passed by the Iffley keeper’s house, no sense of the dangerous working conditions occurred to me, as the climbing roses and daisies swept away any but the but the most romantic and fanciful thoughts.