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Glastonbury Festival to have Lock gates as bridge

Some of the old lock gates removed from the Kennet & Avon Canal are being turned into a bridge for this year's Glastonbury Festival.

The bridge is being built in memory of Sir Winston Churchill's granddaughter Arabella who helped to organise the first festival and died in 2007.

The gates were removed from the Caen Hill locks in January.

But British Waterways was keen to see the gates, each weighing two tonnes, given a new lease of life.

'Impressive structures'

Dale Marshall, of British Waterways, said: "The lock gates that we removed as part of our works programme may have come to the end of their working life in the water, but there's plenty of life left in them.

"What better place for them to be used than at another iconic location, Glastonbury?

"British Waterways takes the phrase 'reduce, reuse, recycle' seriously, and this partnership with the Glastonbury Festival will mean that the wooden gates will help even more people have a great day out.

"Hopefully visitors to the festival site will be intrigued as to where the gates came from and come and visit their former home, during this the canal's 200th birthday year."

Operations director for the Glastonbury Festival Phil Miller said: "The lock gates are impressive structures with a great heritage and story to tell.

"We are delighted that they will be given a new lease of life with us at the festival.

"The gates are going to be used to build a special bridge in memory of Bella Churchill, who was instrumental in developing the festival."

Arabella, a privately educated debutante, dropped out of high society to help organise the first Glastonbury Festival at the age of 21.