L'Ascenseur à Bateaux des Fontinettes
Situation
The Elevator of Fontinettes is on the channel of Neuffossé. The channel which extends from SURFACE with Saint-Omer joins together the navigable Lily in Aa. On 13 km starting from Surface, the ground is about flat, then it drops abruptly to ARCH where starts the plain of Aa.
The Flight of locks
The officers of the genious who built the channel during second half of XVIIIème century decided to repurchase into only once this strong difference in level. For this purpose, it was built on the site of Fontinettes, a flight of locks with five superimposed hoppers and having together a fall of 13,13 Mr. This work A is enough for a long time with the needs for the navigation which was carried out then by means of boats of weak tonnage. The channel of Neuffossé which formed part of the line of navigation connecting the various ports from the coast in Paris, in Lille, and Houillières of Pas-de-Calais and North, had seen its traffic with the passing of years increasing in a significant way.
The boats, whose loading could not exceed 200 barrels, put, to cross the flight of locks, 1. 35 with goes up and the descent, and in order to lock the maximum of boats, each week three days were devoted to downward navigation and four days with rising navigation. By spreading out the boats in the hoppers, one could run out 40 to 50 boats per day. In spite of that, the obstructions were permanent, and the undergone delays were frequently five to six days.
In order not to block the development of the traffic and not to make useless the improvements made on the line of navigation to which belongs the channel of Neuffossé, it was necessary to find a means to remove this " black point ".
The various projects (1875-1881)
A first project was to double the hoppers of the flight of locks of Fontinettes. Mr. Bertin, then engineer as a head of the Inland Waterways of the North and of Not-with Calais, were interested by a hydraulic elevator for boats which functioned in Anderton in England since 1875. Mr. Bertin entered in relation to Mr. Sidengham Duer, which had directed the construction of this work. This last was charged in September 1879 to draw up a project of Elevator of the same type on the site of Fontinettes.
Later, Mr. Edwin Clark also presented a project of Hydraulic elevator. These various projects were examined during the year 1880. The evaluation was 1 830 00 F for the project of M.DUER, 1 530 000 F for that of M.CLARK.
The Choice (1881)
A commission of General inspectors of the Bridges and Chaussées appreciated the simplicity with which the project of Mr. Clark solved the problem, and adopted it subject to the modifications of details indicated by Mr. Bertin. 26 Avril 1881, the Minister for Labour decided construction of a hydraulic elevator while preserving the flight of locks to compensate this one in the event of stop. The modifications made to the project of Mr. Clark were: the installation of vertical lift gates in the place of folding gates which were of a less easy operation and slower, a length of the hopper reserving for the boats a working length of 38,5 m.
Construction (1883-1887)
The construction of the Elevator started only in September 1883, because it should have been waited until were carried out expropriations of the buildings and grounds. And the adjudication of the masonry and earthworks could be made only in August 1883.
The Metal Works the assembly of the metal works begin with fixed aqueducts in August 1885 and was completed in October 1887. The winter of 1887-88 was devoted to operational tests and the apparatus was brought into service on April 20, 1888. The official inauguration took place on July 8, 1888 in the presence of the public Minister for Labour: Mr. Delunsmontaud.
Currently the Elevator ceased functioning in 1967. Its maintenance become very expensive, but especially the requirements of setting with large gauge of the channel, decided on its abandonment and the removal of the flight of locks, replaced by a modern lock able to make cross the 13 m of uneven with 6 barges or a 144 m length thorough convoy (3000 tons) in 30 to 45 minutes. The Elevator was to be demolished.
The Association of Fontinettes A the initiative of Mr. Lefait, Maire of ARCH, was held on December 13, 1984 a constructive meeting of the Association of Fontinettes, of which the goal is to maintain and to emphasize the inheritance consisted the Elevator and its accesses, and to ensure its promotion near the public. Association is made up in accordance with the law of July 1, 1901, it non-profit-making and is directed by the voluntary ones.

The Visit
Two kinds of guided tours are organized: for the adults, for the school ones. The visit for school comprises workshops of animation (code of the river navigation, giant puzzle, play of transport, etc...)
One visits: - a room exposing the various means of crossing the uneven ones and explaining operation, of the locks - the barge Saint-Quirin (housing entirely arranged, video-projection on large screen of the Elevator under operation, small museum of shipping, etc...) - the computer room, with entirely hydraulic machinery and model with explanatory water - the workshop and the forging mill of time.

When to visit ?
For the individual ones: April 1 at June 14: Saturday, Sunday and public holidays of 15h with 18h30 (fine of the last visit). From June 15 at September 15 included: every afternoon of 15h with 18h30 (fine of the last visit). From September 16 at October 31 included: Saturday, Sunday and public holidays of 15h with 18h30 (fine of the last visit). Duration of the visit 1h (adult) -1h30 (children) For the groups: Opened all the year all the day, without interruption (time to agree in advance), except December at February. Obligatory reservation to the 03 21 12 62 30