The Exeter Ship Canal was opened in 1566, built to bypass weirs that had been erected on the River Exe and thus enable goods to reach the port of Exeter - originally in barges, later in ocean-going ships. Following successive enlargements and extensions it reached its present form in the 1830s, when the canal basin was also built.

In 1827 the canal was extended two miles south to the present entrance at Turf Lock, giving access to craft of 400 tons. This caused concerns by traders at Topsham who feared being bypassed by the extension. An Act of Parliament allowed a side lock to be constructed into the estuary opposite Topsham. The lock is no longer in use but the lock cottage remains at this isolated location and is now used as a community facility by the Friends of the Exeter Canal.