Either a short walk from the car park at the Aquadrome or if you're following the hike from Croxley, a decent places to take a breather.
Stockers Lock backs onto the nature reserve at Stockers Lake which is worth a quick walk around if you have time. More peaceful than the main lakes at the aquadrome with a few bird hides along the way to sit and view out of.
Before Stocker's Lake
The land on which Stocker's Lake now stands was once part of Stocker's Farm which is still there today. Records from 1427 show that the farm already existed and was owned by John Stockere or Stocker.
In 1793, authority was given for the building of a canal from Brentford to Braunston. This became the Grand Junction Canal. It was completed by 1805 and it divided off part of the farm.
Over fifty years later, in 1861, Stocker's House (left) was built for the Corporation of London to house the Collector of Coal Dues on the Grand Union Canal. Stocker's House cost £850 to build and the first tenant was Mr. Charles Browton. The dues he collected were, for example, 4 shillings per ton of wine and 12 pence a ton of coal. However with the railways becoming increasingly popular it was decided to sell the house and in 1869 Lord Ebury offered £300.
About 1922, the land between the River Colne and the canal was taken over by Rickmansworth Gravel Company. Building in the capital was booming and gravel was in demand. Extraction at the site began and the resulting pit became Stocker's Lake. The original Wembley stadium was built at around this time and many have since speculated on the possibility of a Wembley Connection.
You are looking for a micro canister with a blue lid. Log book only. Please bring your own pen. This is still a very active part of the canal for boats, cyclists and walkers, please be discreet around the muggles and replace cache in gap with care.