Lock 10

Lock 10, built between 1759 and 1804, marks a new rise in the North Branch and maintains the characteristic typology of the canal’s simple locks. Its oval basin, 25.50 meters long, 9.45 meters wide, and 3.80 meters high, is constructed of sandstone masonry, a resistant material that has allowed the essential structure of the hydraulic work to be preserved. On the right bank, a spillway connects via an underground conduit to the diversion channel on the same bank, discharging against the wall of the basin before rejoining the canal. A diversion intake branches off from the left wing of the upper entrance, continuing into the canal and returning to the main channel downstream, reflecting the close relationship between the hydraulic infrastructure and the associated productive uses. A small stream also flows beneath the upper edge of the lock through the Talda culvert, resolving the crossing between the two watercourses.

The complex is completed by several secondary elements. The bridge over the lock, also from the period 1759–1804, features a semicircular arch in sandstone ashlar, with stone wing walls and parapets. One of the parapets is missing, but it retains the solidity and proportions characteristic of the canal’s engineering. Two auxiliary bridges, also made of limestone ashlar, are preserved at the branch line, which allowed the towpath to continue on the left bank. Next to them are the ruins of the mill and the lock keeper’s house, of which no trace remains except the outline, recalling the intense economic and human activity associated with the canal.

Stone bridges frame the landscape, and industrial ruins hint at the life that once thrived along this stretch of the canal. It’s the perfect place to understand the Canal de Castilla as a living heritage, integrated into the landscape and steeped in history.