Aerial photograph showing Laggan Locks at entrance to Loch Lochy.

Description Aerial photograph showing Laggan Locks at entrance to Loch Lochy.

Date 1985

Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography

Catalogue Number SC 1676136

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 36801

Scope and Content Aerial view, Laggan Locks, Caledonian Canal, Highland, from north-north-east This aerial view from the north-north-east shows the locks with Ceann Loch (centre) and Loch Lochy in the background. The lock-keeper would have occupied one of the buildings around the locks which were completed by 1822 with one lock being repaired in 1910. Boats waiting to entering the locks would be secured onto bollards on the large west pier (centre). There is a smaller east pier to the left (tip just visible behind the trees) with a modern pier to the right. During the building of the locks it was discovered that there was a layer of decomposed and vegetable matter. Water could not penetrate this exceptionally hard substance and it was decided that it could form the base for the locks. Much of the rubble stone used in the construction of the locks came from the nearby Kilfinnan Burn, with freestone being transported from the Firth of Clyde. The Caledonian Canal was designed by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and built between 1803 and 1822 at a cost of £840,000. It was the first example of a transport network funded by the government in Great Britain. The 96.5km-long canal provides a route for boats travelling between the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean as it runs from the Beauly Firth at Clachnaharry, Inverness, to Loch Linnhe at Corpach. Only 35.4km of this length is man-made while the other 61km runs through four lochs: Loch Dochfour, Loch Ness, Loch Oich and Loch Lochy. Unfortunately, at 4.2m deep, the canal was too small for most sea-going ships which led to it being altered and deepened between 1844 and 1847. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1676136

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap