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Edinburgh, Union Canal. General view of canal with no water.

SC 786875

Description Edinburgh, Union Canal. General view of canal with no water.

Date 1900 to 1930

Collection Collection of photographs by George Chrystal and Francis Maxwell Chrystal, photographers, Edinburgh,

Catalogue Number SC 786875

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of ED 7338

Scope and Content Entrance to Port Hopetoun, Union Canal, Edinburgh (Port Hopetoun abandoned 1922; canal closed 1965 and navigation restored 2002) This narrow entrance at Semple Street, spanned by a wooden drawbridge, was the main approach from the west to Port Hopetoun (foreground), a large enclosed basin of water that formed the eastern terminus of the canal. This photograph, taken after the port was abandoned in 1922 and subsequently drained, shows the bridge keeper's cottage (right) that stood on the broad west quay, and the solitary gas lamp standard that illuminated the end of the quayside at night. The great bulk of the North British Rubber Works building at Fountainbridge can be seen in the distance to the left, one of the few surviving industries which were still dependent on drawing a source of water from the canal in the 1920s. At the height of the canal trade in the mid-19th century Port Hopetoun was a busy and active port, with coal, timber, stone, slate, brick, sand and lime being delivered onto its quaysides from the west. It was the departure point for the passenger boats that travelled between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the cattle-boats that followed the same route. At first there were regular races between the night passenger boats of rival companies, but after complaints about injuries to passengers, each company was allotted a different time of departure. However, eventually the canal's passenger trade was lost to the railway, and in the early 20th century its commercial traffic began to decline. In 1912, when Edinburgh's slaughterhouse was moved from Fountainbridge to Gorgie, the port became more or less redundant. The surrounding area deteriorated rapidly, becoming 'one of the most hideous features of Edinburgh', and in 1922 the port was finally abandoned, drained and eventually filled in. The Union Canal, the last of Scotland's major canals, was a commercial venture begun in 1818 and completed in 1822. It was built principally as a means of importing coal and lime into Edinburgh, and ran from Port Hopetoun in Edinburgh to join the Forth & Clyde Canal at Camelon, Stirlingshire. However, within 20 years of completion most of its passenger traffic was lost to the railways, and the Edinburgh basins closed in 1922. The rest of the canal remained navigational until 1965 when it was finally closed by an Act of Parliament. In 2002, Britain's largest canal restoration project, The Millennium Link, restored navigation, and with an extension to the Union Canal and a link with the Forth & Clyde Canal through the Falkirk Wheel, boats were once more able to travel between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/786875

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap

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Attribution & Licence Summary

Attribution: © Courtesy of HES (Francis M Chrystal Collection)

Licence Type: Educational

You may: copy, display, store and make derivative works [eg documents] solely for licensed personal use at home or solely for licensed educational institution use by staff and students on a secure intranet.

Under these conditions: Display Attribution, No Commercial Use or Sale, No Public Distribution [eg by hand, email, web]

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