Camden Lock drained and opened to public before restoration Published duration 16 November 2013

media caption The lock has been drained ahead of repair work, revealing many lost items

Camden Lock in north London has been drained and opened to the public ahead of restoration work.

The lock, officially called Hampstead Road Lock, will undergo repairs costing £130,000 including replacing both sets of lock gates and timberwork.

The work by The Canal and River Trust is part of a national £45m restoration project to improve 100 locks.

Camden Lock will be open to the public between 10:00 and 16:00 GMT on Saturday and Sunday.

As part of the event people will be able to climb down into the drained lock chamber and see the structure dating back to 1818, which is usually full of water.

image caption The drained lock is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday

Richard Parry, chief executive of the trust, said: "Every day thousands of people visit or cruise on our waterways without ever seeing all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, and below the waterline, to look after this historic and remarkable infrastructure.

"By showcasing this work to the public we can give them a glimpse of the craftsmanship of the waterways' original 18th Century design and the scale of the work we do to care for it.

"It is especially fitting to be launching these works in Camden as this year is the 200th anniversary of the start of construction of the Regent's Canal in the heart of London."

Hampstead Road Lock is a twin lock on the Regent's Canal which was constructed between 1818 and 1820 by James Morgan and is the only twin lock remaining on the canal.