Watching Brief

Date 23 January 2007 - 1 February 2007

Event ID 557809

Category Recording

Type Watching Brief

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/557809

NS 5639 6907 Archaeological monitoring took place between 23 January-1 February 2007 during repairs to three areas of canal wall in the vicinity of Locks 21 and 22 of the Forth and Clyde Canal. In Area 1 (the N bank to the E of Lock 21) the repairs saw the removal of 32m of concrete and poor quality masonry. Behind the removed masonry and concrete the puddle clay lining of the canal was revealed. To the W of the repairs the

canal walls were in fine condition, comprising six courses of c1m thick dressed blond sandstone with a 420mm-high red sandstone cope on top. A possible ash bedding layer for a cobbled surface was identified in the area, as was a later concrete surface that was related to a garage built in the 1960s.

In Area 2 (the S bank to the E of Lock 21) the repair work saw the removal of 28m of concrete (c14m) and poor masonry (c14m). To the W of this area was a stretch of wall that had been recently repaired with gabion baskets and this was retained. Once the concrete and poor masonry was removed the puddle clay lining could be seen behind it. Evidence of a recent service cut and a historic repair (in the form of wooden piles) was also

revealed.

In Area 3 (part the N part of the W wall of the basin between Locks 21 and 22) the repairs saw the reduction and repair of an unspecified length of the basin wall. A section of the masonry had collapsed and required repair. In this area a c14m stretch of concrete had replaced the original red sandstone cope. Below the concrete was a double course of horizontally tooled blond sandstone that was sat on five courses of stippled blond sandstone. The collapsed area (c 4m long x 1m high) was in these builds.

Archive to be deposited with RCAHMS.

Funder: British Waterways Scotland.