Monkland Canal, Hillend Reservoir

NS86NW 63 8355 6745.

Although this reservoir is the largest by far of all the reservoirs associated with the Monkland and Forth and Clyde canals and was purported to be the largest artificial stretch of water in the world at the time of its construction, nevertheless no exact date for its construction is available. However, a date between 1797 and 1799 appears to be a reasonable assumption from available data.

In a work by Hopkirk entitled 'Account of the Forth and Clyde Navigation' (1816) the following statisitics are given. The reservoir covered 317 acres, 3 roods, 17 falls and contained 11,867 lockfulls of water.

In the 1830s the embankments at the reservoir were raised.

By the 1840s Hillend Reservoir together with Lily Loch and Black Loch provided 1,011,000,000 gallons of water.

G Thomson 1945.

Between 1796 and 1798 a new reservoir was created at Hillend moss, the purpose of which was to supply the Forth and Clyde Canal (Lin 17) through the Monkland Canal.

J Lindsay 1968.

This enormous reservoir at Caldercruix, considered at the time to be the largest such construction in the world, was built to direct water through the North Calder Water (NS86NW 64) to the Monkland Canal.

G Hutton 1993.

This reservoir is clearly shown on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Lanarkshire 1864, sheets viii and ix), on the 2nd edition of the OS 6-inch map (Lanarkshire 1899, sheets viiiNE and ixNW), on the current edition of the OS 1:10000 map (1986) and on the OS Basic Scale raster map (ND).

In the North Lanarkshire Archives, Cumbernauld (Drumpellier Estate Papers U8 10/04) is a document dated 30 September 1850 referring to costs incurred in enlarging Hillend Reservoir. In the same archives (Monklands Photographic Collection) is a photograph (U6 0847, c.1896) showing a vast reservoir with industrial works nearby.

Information from RCAHMS (MD) 21 February 2002.