Lin's Mill Aqueduct, Union Canal, general view from SW (top, 19) and detail of deck (lower, 16) from W.

Description Lin's Mill Aqueduct, Union Canal, general view from SW (top, 19) and detail of deck (lower, 16) from W.

Date 1996

Catalogue Number C 75383/19

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 797029

Scope and Content Channel, Almond Aqueduct, Union Canal, Edinburgh, from west This shows the water channel of Almond Aqueduct, built between 1818 and 1822, which was designed by Baird with advice from Thomas Telford. The cobbled towpath (left) borders the channel which is almost 4m in width and 1.8m in depth. The white-painted timber struts (centre) are part of a sluice which pours water into the River Almond below when levels in the canal are high. Many aqueducts that were built around this time usually had water channels which were lined with heavy puddled (kneaded) clay. With Lin's Mill Aqueduct, the water is carried on an iron trough over the span which means that the structure does not have to counter the water's outward pressure. The stone pillars and arches are therefore lighter and more elegant. The government authorised the construction of the Union Canal in 1817 and appointed Hugh Baird (1770-1827) as the chief engineer. The main purpose of the canal was to provide an economical route for the transportation of coal and lime between Edinburgh and Glasgow via the Forth & Clyde Canal (1768-90). The 51km-long canal was opened in 1822 at a cost of £461,760, almost double the estimate, and it ran from Lock 16 at Camelon, Falkirk to Fountainbridge, Edinburgh. Except where the two canals are joined at Falkirk, the canal was built with no locks because it followed the contours of the hills. The Union Canal was closed in 1965, two years after the Forth & Clyde Canal, and the construction of new roads meant that it was impossible for boats to travel along the full length of these watercourses. However, the £84.5m Millennium Link project enabled both canals to reopen in 2002. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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