General view looking WSW from bottom of Fort Augustus Locks

Description General view looking WSW from bottom of Fort Augustus Locks

Date 1984

Catalogue Number SC 1924537

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of A 140

Scope and Content Lock gates, Fort Augustus Locks, Caledonian Canal, Highland, from east-north-east This view looking west-south-west from the swing bridge shows the gradual incline of the five locks which were rebuilt in 1837. In total there are six pairs of lock gates which are topped by pedestrian walkways with white-painted railed parapets. The buildings (left background) have sold souvenirs to passengers on the canal since Victorian times. The boat would move into the centre of the lock and water would either be added or drained till the water level corresponded with the next level, so that the boat could continue its journey. Unfortunately the steamer 'Rockabill' failed this manoeuvre and collided with a lock gate causing the canal to close for eight days in 1882. 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.

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