View from E.

Description View from E.

Date 31/7/2001

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

Catalogue Number E 5892 CN

Category Photographs and Off-line Digital Images

Copies SC 796883

Scope and Content Avon Aqueduct, Union Canal, West Lothian, from east This shows the east end of Avon Aqueduct, built between 1818 and 1822, which was designed by Baird with advice from Thomas Telford. The towpath (right) becomes cobbled and narrows to a width of 1.2m as it continues along the length of the aqueduct. This aqueduct is the second largest in Britain behind the Telford-designed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales. The water is carried on an iron trough over the span which means that the aqueduct does not have to counter the water's outward pressure. The stone pillars are therefore hollow and internally braced, which leads to a structure which is 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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