Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre

Lore & Background

The lifts were designed by Edwin Clark from the British company Clark, Stansfield & Clark. Along a 7 km stretch of the Canal du Centre, the water level rises by 66.2 meters. The first lift, at Houdeng-Goegnies, opened in 1888 with a 15.4-meter rise; the other three lifts, each with a 16.93-meter rise, opened in 1917. Each lift is double, consisting of two vertically mobile tanks or caissons, each supported in the centre by an iron column. The two columns are hydraulically linked so that one caisson rises as the other descends, the weight of one counterbalancing the weight of the other.

Reader's Guide

The Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre are significant as the only remaining hydraulic lift locks from the late 19th and early 20th centuries still functioning in their original form. Of the eight such lifts built worldwide, only these four survive in original operation. They were part of the inspiration behind the Peterborough and Kirkfield Lift Locks in Canada, studied by Richard Birdsall Rogers in the late 19th century. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, the assemblage includes the four lifts and associated auxiliary buildings. Since 2002, operation has been limited to recreational use, as commercial traffic now uses the Strépy-Thieu boat lift. Following an accident in January 2002 involving a malfunctioning elevator, lift no. 1 was taken out of service; repair work began in 2005, including a thorough restoration.

Did You Know?

• The lifts are located on the Canal du Centre in Belgium's historic sillon industriel industrial belt.
• The lifts were designed by Edwin Clark from the British company Clark, Stansfield & Clark.
• Of the eight hydraulic lift locks built in the late 19th and early 20th century, these four are the only ones still functioning in their original form.
• Since 2002, operation of the lifts has been limited to recreational use.