Lock, Blockhouse &c at the Narrows, Rideau Lake - the first descent from Summit towards Bytown; 1841 Thomas Burrowes, watercolour (Archives of Ontario, I0002146) |
Looking towards Big Rideau Lake, the lock and dam at the Narrows hold back the waters of Upper Rideau Lake. A blockhouse stands guard over these works. Note the presence of rack and pinion gate sluice mechanisms in the upper gate, indicating that the Narrows lock was built without breastworks. About this Painting: This painting one of about 80 known paintings of the Rideau Canal done by Thomas Burrowes. They are held by the Archives of Ontario. The set came from a private collection discovered in an attic in Detroit in 1907 (gifted to the Archives of Ontario by A.H.D. Ross in 1948). The set is incomplete, many paintings are missing. They were painted by Thomas Burrowes who started work as a surveyor on the Rideau Canal in 1826 and became an Overseer of Works. When the canal was completed, he became Clerk of the Works for the southern section of the canal, settling in Kingston Mills and working until his retirement in 1846. His paintings date from 1827 to 1861. |
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