Denver Sluice & Salters Lode

History of Denver Sluice

Denver Sluice is the core of the drainage system started by Cornelius Vermuyden in the 17th century.  This picture is taken from where the Old Bedford River meets the Great Ouse and New Bedford  rivers combined.

Denver Sluice circa 1957

Denver Sluice was one of the most important engineering works in the history of the Fens, controlling the flow of water between the Great Ouse and the surrounding drainage system. Built to reduce flooding and reclaim land for agriculture, the sluice became central to transforming large areas of marshland into productive farmland. It also shaped river navigation, trade, and settlement patterns across the fenland landscape, illustrating the constant struggle to manage water in low-lying eastern England.

Salters Lode lock