The Shannon Navigation Lock is located in the town of Athlone, in the civil parish of St Peter's in County Westmeath. It must be noted that part of this civil parish is also located in County Roscommon.
The Lock forms part of the Shannon Navigation system and is situated on the western side of the River Shannon near the Shannon Navigation House.
The Lock was built around 1844 with a large scale refurbishment taking place in 1950.
The Lock and associated navigation house were built by the Shannon Commissioners in the hopes of opening up the Shannon for commercial trade links. Unfortunately the inland waterways of Ireland never really unlocked their full potential as the introduction of the railway system in the mid 19th century made them obsolete.
References
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Inventory of Architectural Heritage | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
