The treadwheel crane
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1005918
- Date first listed:
- 20-Apr-1970
Location
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Scheduled Monument
- List Entry Number:
- 1005918
- Date first listed:
- 20-Apr-1970
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Surrey
- District:
- Guildford (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 99433 49435
Summary
The Guildford treadwheel crane, 40m south-east of Friary Bridge.
Reasons for Designation
The Guildford treadwheel crane, 40m south-east of Friary Bridge is a significant structure that survives in good condition. The crane would have been an important means of transporting goods on and off barges on the River Wey navigation that runs between Godalming and Weybridge, where it joins the Thames. The crane is a rare survival; the only other comparable structure known to survive is at Harwich.
History
See Details.
Details
This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 11 December 2014. The record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.
The monument includes a late 17th century or 18th century wooden slewing crane and timber-framed building of two bays. It is situated on the east side of the River Wey navigation, near the centre of Guildford. The building has oak weatherboard cladding and a plain tiled roof. One bay is open and the other enclosed. In the enclosed bay a treadwheel, approximately 5m in diameter and 1.5m wide, is suspended. It is constructed of wood with wooden clasp arm spokes on a wooden shaft. The crane is formed of timber baulks rotating between top and bottom bearings. A chain linked the hausting hook to the treadwheel. It was last used to transport stone for Guildford Cathedral in about 1960 and is believed to have been the last working example in Great Britain. The structure underwent repairs in the 18th century and 19th century before being dismantled and erected near its original position on the former Guildford Wharf in about 1971.
It is Grade II* listed.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- SU 145
- Legacy System:
- RSM - OCN
Sources
Other
Surrey HER 3684. NMR SU94NE74. PastScape 250423.
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 03-Jul-2026 at 20:26:41.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.