This was a pleasant place to walk around on a nice autumn day. Unfortunately Lift No1 was being heavily restored (by Eiffel) whilst I visited. This was the result of accident involving a barge, the battered remains of which were sitting in front of the lift in a particularly algae ridden part of the canal. The structure did look very impressive though.

We then carried on down to Lifts 2 and 3, which provided a nice stroll and enabled a closer look at the structures. These were not as large as Lift 1 but I still liked their appearance. I do have a soft spot for Iron architecture. Also at this site is a pump room and a café; so this was a nice place to visit.

My Belgian friends all laughed when I said I was going to visit La Louviére. It has a reputation for being the ugliest city in the country, and what I saw of it did not prove them wrong. The ‘ascenseurs hydrauliques’ are well signposted from the main road/ motorway. Nearby is the new massive €675 million lift at Strépy-Thieu showing that the heritage is still being used to great effect today.

Apparently la Cantine des Italiens near Lift 1 offers trips along the canal through the lifts, I think would be a very nice way to see them in action. Overall this was a nice place to stop as we were passing through and had an hour to spare but it certainly isn’t a highlight of the world heritage list.