The Foxton Locks on the Midland canal system are a unique example of 19th Century engineering synonymous with the famous British waterways.

Back when the locks were first built there were no roads to speak of, and literally everything had to be moved by water.

With its unique staircase of 10 locks, traversing 75 feet (and two inches) from bottom to top, the Foxton Locks were unique in that they took boats up and over a steep incline, linking the North and South of England by canal.

The Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift was opened in 1900 to widen the canal, speed up river traffic and save on water.

Unfortunately it was only used for 10 years because only narrow boats could pass through, which meant that wider boats had to look elsewhere.

Following a major redevelopment, visitors will soon be able to watch narrowboats ascending the 10-lock "staircase" as they would have done in the past.

In the meantime visitors can enjoy the local wildlife, including ducks, herons and water vole, which live in the three side-ponds used as reservoirs for the locks.

There is also a museum of the history of the canal (Foxton Canal Museum - 0116 2792 657), open every day from 10am until 5pm in summer with restricted opening hours (mainly weekends) during winter.