Oblique aerial view of Fort Augustus Locks, village and abbey
A 36827
Description Oblique aerial view of Fort Augustus Locks, village and abbey
Date 1985
Collection RCAHMS Aerial Photography
Catalogue Number A 36827
Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images
Copies SC 684297, SC 1675834
Scope and Content Aerial view, Fort Augustus Locks, Caledonian Canal, Highland, from west This aerial view from the west shows the five locks which were rebuilt in 1837 and lie in the centre of Fort Augustus. The locks are parallel with the River Oich which was diverted to allow the canal to flow into Loch Ness (background). The A82 public road is carried over the river by a 1934 bridge (left centre) and the canal by a 1932 swing bridge (centre). The large building with the spire in the background is Fort Augustus Abbey, Church and School. The stone which was dug out of the new cutting for the river was used to construct the locks. However, better quality Redcastle and Tarradale stone was used when the locks were rebuilt. The top lock was reconstructed first with the bottom lock, nearest Loch Ness, being repaired last. This lock was much more difficult than the others because of the large amount of water seeping through the old walls. Steam engines were used to pump this water out of the lock. 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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