Wood crafted for the
world around us
Once the lifeblood of industrial Britain, today’s canal network is core to our national identity, an important part of our leisure industry and critical to biodiversity.
Lock Gates
Green Oak Carpentry builds
traditional oak lock gates,
helping keep these historic
waterways alive across the country.
Lock gates require a centuries-old combination of carpentry and engineering. With three decades of experience and a record three Gold Wood Awards, we bring craft and care to every project, working with you from the first drawing to the final assembly to create custom-built oak framed lock gates.
Why use oak for lock gates?
Why use oak for lock gates?
Lock gates require a robust, hard-wearing material suitable for submersion, constant water pressure, and occasional impacts from boats.
Freshly sawn green oak is formally classified by TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association) as durable, and is readily available in a wide range of section sizes and lengths. This, along with oak’s traditional use in lock gate production, makes it the ideal choice for lock gates.
Custom lock gate designs
We work with some of the largest canal
and waterway management companies
in the UK, supplying lock gates across
the country.
We treat each project individually and will work with you to understand what you – and your lock gates – require. Our team of oak carpenters use the same techniques today as were used to build the very first oak lock gates.
We’ve made oak lock gates for a variety of clients including:
The National Trust
Basingstoke Council
Essex Waterways
Never repeated. Always remarkable
Every Green Oak Carpentry
lock gate is an original –
we don’t work to set design
templates, nor do we build the
same thing twice.
We’ll work with you to create an oak-framed lock gate that’s aligned with your waterway’s needs. Our designers will make sure your new oak lock gate not only works effectively, but looks the part, enhancing your canal network’s beauty and supporting its functionality.
Our fully bespoke approach accommodates your site’s idiosyncrasies – taking advantage of opportunities while managing any constraints. And, as you’d expect, we’ll work in line with local planning considerations and respect your budget.
Quality & craftsmanship
without compromise
Enjoy an unsurpassed level of continuity throughout the design, build and installation of your oak frame lock gate. We guide you through your entire project, allowing you to enjoy the unique process of commissioning an oak frame lock gate.
Design & architectural development
Our in-house draughtsmen and frame designers bring your vision to life, combining structural integrity with architectural beauty. Our designers readily accommodate unconventional ideas and specific features, and can incorporate any number of custom-designed features.
If you’ve already commissioned an architect, we’ll work with them and can adapt existing drawings to ensure your plans are suitable for oak framing.
Planning support
Our trusted planning consultants are here to support your planning permission application and are particularly experienced in heritage projects and sensitive sites.
Our materials
Oak is a popular choice for lock gates, but it isn’t always the best choice for a project. We work with you to choose the right materials, based on your site, aesthetic goals and engineering requirements. We only use sustainably sourced materials.
Fabrication
Each oak frame lock gate is handcrafted from start to finish by our same team of award-winning carpenters. Using skills practised since the Middle Ages, they scribe the naturally shaped components together, making each frame unique.
Build & installation
After dry-fitting your oak frame in our workshop, our carpenters deconstruct it, deliver it on-site, and personally assemble it. Using the same team throughout build and assembly creates a rare level of consistency, giving your frame unsurpassed care and respect.
Bespoke finishes & specifications
We’ll work with you to agree on the best finishing options and specifications for your finished oak frame lock gate. This will allow you to appreciate the beauty of this celebrated natural material while complementing your aesthetic.
The Green Oak Carpentry guarantee
All our frames carry a warranty against defective workmanship and materials for six years. Problems are very rare, but if they do occur, we take them very seriously and do our utmost to ensure all is well.
Commission your oak framed lock gate
Learn more about beginning your oak frame lock gate with Green Oak Carpentry. We work around you and your needs, whether using your drawings, quoting on an existing oak frame plan or guiding you as you begin your journey from scratch.
A naturally
sustainable choice
Oak is a natural, renewable material with exceptional longevity. When properly detailed and crafted, an oak framed lock gate matures beautifully, developing an individual character and long-standing structural integrity.
A Green Oak Carpentry lock gate is built with sustainability at its core. All wood – whether oak or another hardwood – will be sustainably grown and harvested. Crucially, it will meet PEFC’s strict chain-of-custody certification requirements, demonstrating our sustainability commitment.
Experience our oak
framed buildings for
yourself
Join us at one of our open days or events – they’re the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of oak framing, see our oak frames up close and ask our knowledgeable team as many questions as you need.
Why choose us for your
oak framed lock gate?
There’s no shortage of oak frame building companies to work with. So why choose us?
One-of-a-kind
Every project is a one-off – you won’t see a single templated design on our website or in our office. Whether a domestic porch or a high-profile commercial build, we begin every project the same way – by taking your brief and designing to your needs.
Integrity, longevity
Oak trees can live for hundreds of years. We honour these gentle giants by building structures that will last for generations to come. Our team skilfully designs, fabricates and assembles each structure to achieve structural integrity and a positive, lasting impact.
Transparent & available
It’s not just about the buildings we make. We’re good to work with, too. We’re readily available and happy to accommodate our clients throughout their projects. We work transparently and will be open about your project’s progress and any potential challenges.
Deep expertise
Having been in business since 1996, we’re timber framing experts, training up the next generation of carpenters in our business. Our renowned timber restoration experts allow us to support highly specialised projects.
Professionalism assured
We partner with architects, contractors and developers to create modern and traditional timber structures of all sizes.
Industry recognised
Our timber structures have been recognised by numerous awards, and we’re the only company to have been awarded the prestigious Gold Wood Award three times. No other company has achieved this more than once.
Frequently Asked Questions
Planning your oak framed lock gate
What types of oak do you use when making lock gates?
We make most of our lock gates with fresh-sawn oak, which is ideal for prolonged weather exposure. If well-maintained, you should expect your oak lock gates to last up to 20 years.
What maintenance or treatment do oak lock gates need?
Lock gates are often painted with bitumen paint to weatherproof them and increase their longevity. However, as oak is exceptionally durable, even under prolonged water exposure, this is a matter of preference; some canal and waterway authorities prefer to leave their gates untreated.
Every project is a one-off
No templates. No repeat designs. Every frame
we have ever made has started from scratch.
Never repeated.
Always remarkable
Explore our project gallery to inspire your oak frame building project. Take your time; each Green Oak Carpentry structure is unique and hand-built – you’ll never see the same project twice.
“Right from our first meeting we knew we had made the right choice. It’s the details, with so much experience they know exactly what works & what doesn’t. Everyone & we mean everyone, who comes to our home just goes “WOW” this is stunning. Makes us soo proud.”
Mark & Catherine, Petersfield
Great builds
begin with a chat
If you are considering an oak framed lock gate and would value a thoughtful, design-led approach, we would be pleased to explore this with you.
Oak craftsmanship is best appreciated in person, so we welcome you to our workshop near Petersfield, Hampshire, where you can meet the team, see our carpenters at work, and catch a glimpse of the skill and care that go into every build.
