Laggan, Swing Bridge over Caledonian Canal General view of east side of bridge from east

Description Laggan, Swing Bridge over Caledonian Canal General view of east side of bridge from east

Date 6/5/1999

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

Catalogue Number D 48287 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 801443

Scope and Content Laggan Swing Bridge, Caledonian Canal, Highland, from east This shows the east side of the swing bridge which was built in 1932 by Sir William Arrol & Company. The railed pier (left) protects a jetty-shaped structure which supports the bridge when it has been opened. The railed walkway across the span and the bridge's control cabin (left) was added in the late 20th century. Originally, a drawbridge spanned the canal at this point but was replaced by this swing bridge when the main road through the Great Glen was upgraded in the 1930s. The advantage of this new bridge is that it has a stronger and wider span for road traffic. 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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