The Upper Lock at Duvkullen

Product description

Formal name: Erik Hagström ( Gustaf Lagerheim’s predecessor as Head of Mechanical Engineering at the canal company)
Year of construction: 1832
Technical facts: The lock has a rise of 2.5 metres. It is a single, hydraulics-operated lock and the gates have a cast iron frame with wooden boarding. Here at Duvkullen, three generations of the Stenman family have worked as lock keepers. It all began with Per Gustaf Stenman who took over lock keeping duties in 1881. He was originally a stone worker and carpenter and he received the Medal of the Royal Patriotic Society in 1891. After 22 years of service he was succeeded by his son, Per Adolf Stenman, also a stone worker. The last family member to take on lock keeping duties was Einar Stenman, who remained until 1974. All in all, these three worked at the same lock for a combined 93 years.

Even so, life as a lock keeper could be hard. Per Adolf Stenman’s widow shared her life story following her husband’s death in 1949. She was over 80 years old at the time and had spent 60 of those living in the same house. She had brought eleven children into the world, and she had to walk 300 metres to collect water. The house had no washroom and the roof often leaked. One of her sons worked at the lock in Mem and his family had an even more difficult life. They had to walk over half a kilometre just to collect water.