Lock 16

Lock 16, built between 1759 and 1804, is a single lock that continues the ascent of the North Branch near Boadilla del Camino. Its oval basin, 24.80 meters long, 9.50 meters wide, and 4.50 meters high, is constructed of limestone masonry, a durable material that has allowed the essential structure of the hydraulic work to be preserved. On the right bank, a fixed-lip spillway connects via an underground conduit to the diversion channel on the same bank, discharging against the basin wall before rejoining the canal. Upstream, on the left bank, an intake fed the sluice gate that carried water to the adjacent building, crossing under the towpath via a buried pontoon bridge and returning to the canal approximately 60 meters downstream.

The complex is completed by several secondary elements. The bridge over the lock, also from the Enlightenment period, features a semicircular arch in limestone ashlar, with stone abutments and a modified elevation with metal profiles and a concrete slab. Its condition is good, although the roadway has been widened and the parapet modified. Two auxiliary bridges, also of limestone ashlar, are preserved at the diversion point. These bridges ensured the continuity of the towpath; one is blocked, while the second, located 140 meters downstream, maintains its original structure in good condition. Next to them is the lock keeper’s house, a single-story building with pressed brick walls, a wooden frame, and a ceramic tile roof. Its condition is good, although the adjoining stable has lost its roof. It retains original facades and structural elements that evoke daily life linked to the maintenance of the canal. Finally, the ruins of the old mill, now reduced to remnants of its layout, serve as a reminder of the energy harnessed by the waterfall.

A visit to Lock 16 is an ideal place to discover how 18th-century engineering adapted to the territory and to enjoy a heritage site that preserves, in each of its elements, the living memory of the Canal de Castilla.