General view of Leamington Lifting Bridge and New Lochrin Basin, Union Canal, Edinburgh, from the east

Description General view of Leamington Lifting Bridge and New Lochrin Basin, Union Canal, Edinburgh, from the east

Date 27/8/2014

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number DP 199726

Category On-line Digital Images

Scope and Content The Union Canal was crossed by a series of wooden drawbridges along its length in Edinburgh. However, in c.1906, this electrical lifting bridge was installed, not at its present site, but further north where Fountainbridge crossed the canal as it entered Ports Hamilton and Hopetoun. Designed by Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd of Newcastle, the bridge replaced an earlier lift bridge dating from 1869. When Ports Hamilton and Hopetoun closed in 1922, the bridge was then moved to this site, replacing another bridge across the canal between Gilmore Park in the north and Leamington Road in the south. Along with the canal itself, the bridge fell out of use in the 1960s, but was refurbished as part of the Millennium Link Project which opened the canal up to navigation again, and the bridge reopened in 2005. The lifting mechanism is contained within twin steel portals, and there is a footbridge adjacent on the east side to allow continued pedestrian access while the bridge is raised.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1453879

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap