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The Foxton Inclined Plane Trust (FIPT) is a Registered Charity run by volunteers drawn from its membership. We have some very experienced and knowledgeable people who love our canals, and in particular, love Foxton's unique Inclined Plane Boat Lift. FIPT runs the Foxton Canal Museum which is also our headquarters.
A restored lift at Foxton will bring the past alive, reduce queues at the locks, conserve water and provide an improved tourist attraction for the South Midlands. This will bring visitors from abroad, as well as British tourists, who will spend their money and bring jobs to the district.
Foxton Locks are at the centre of Britain's inland waterways network. The canal locks, north of Foxton to Leicester, the River Soar and the Trent are wide (14 feet), as are the locks south of Watford Gap, down to the Thames. The locks at Foxton and Watford (Gap) were constructed at just 7 feet wide to save water and money. In 1900, the Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift was opened to widen the canal, speed up traffic and save water. The Lift is a unique piece in the jigsaw of boat lift and canal history. Times have changed and, with modern traffic, it is time to restore the lift, this time for holiday boats rather than commercial carriers.
