Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders

Date 2007

Event ID 606381

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/606381

Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders

In 1804 Telford was approached by the 12th Earl of Eglinton to examine the project of a canal from Glasgow to his Ardrossan estate where he proposed a great harbour to serve Glasgow (LIN 25). Telford, later supported by Jessop, planned a harbour with an area sufficient to accommodate 100 vessels. Two piers were planned embracing an entrance lock to a spacious wet dock at the shore end of which was to be the canal entrance. Work began in 1806 and by early 1809 the southern curved pier about 900 yards long had been built [see later plan showing the pier carrying a railway, 289). Construction turned out to be more difficult and expensive than anticipated. By 1815 Rennie had also been consulted and £70 000 had been spent against the original estimate of £40 000. Rennie estimated that £90 000 would be required.

The work came to a standstill on the death of the Earl in 1819 and was not resumed until 1833 under the 13th Earl when it was completed on a reduced scale. The harbour then comprised two tidal basins of 6 and 18 acres and a wet dock of 4 acres with 19 ft of water over the sill at high water (see plan, 289). A dry dock was built in 1846.

From 1886–92 the 10-acre Eglinton Dock was built which increased the depth of water to 27 ft at high tide. An outer tidal basin was also formed which included a new breakwater 1320 ft long. The engineer for these improvements was Robert Robertson.

In later years the harbour was developed to serve shipping interests on the Clyde and is in use today by the oil industry and other shipping, including the Arran ferry, and as a marina.

R Paxton and J Shipway 2007

Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.