History

The idea of a canal across central Scotland had been postulated since the mid 17th Century, but it was only in the early 1760’s when initial surveys were made by John Smeaton. Many routes were puto forwared but themost promising idea was a canal from the River Forth in the East, to the River Clyde in the West.Eventually in December 1767 a Bill to permit the building of a canal was put before the British Parliament and on the 8th March 1768 the Bill was passed “to make and maintain a canal from the River Carron near Falkirk (on the River Forth) to Dalmuirburnfoot near Glasgow (on the River Clyde).” The Company of the Forth & Clyde Navigation was established under the Act and in April 1768 John Smeaton was appointed Canal Engineer.

Harbourmaster's House at Bowling Basin

The Canal was built from East to West being started on the 10th June 1768 at the Eastern Sealock. The Canal rises through 16 locks to the village of Camelon on its outskirts of Falkirk, from where it runs level through Bonnybridge to 4 locks at Underwood and Wyndford. This is at its highest point of 48m above sea level and from here it runs level through Kilsyth, Twechar and Kirkintilloch to Stockingfield on the then northern outskirts of Glasgow where it commences its 19 lock drop through Maryhill towards Bowling on the River Clyde. From Stockingfield, the Port Dundas spur was dug which terminated in the centre of Glasgow at Port Dundas. It took 22 years to build, including 7 (1777-1784) years during which no work was done due to a lack of funds. Water was first let into the Canal in 1773, when it was filled as far as Kirkintilloch. In 1775, the water was taken as far as Stockingfield and it was only in 1784 that work resumed towards Bowling, which now was to become the terminus on the River Clyde in 1790. The first vessel to transit the Canal from Grangemouth to Bowling did so on 31st. August 1790, a total distance of 56 km through 39 locks.

The Forth & Clyde Canal was designed with overbridges of the wooden bascule design which opened to allow the tall masted sailing vessels through. There are a number of aqueducts, the most notable being the ones that carry the Canal over the Luggie at Kirkintilloch and the Kelvin at Maryhill. Many more of the canal side buildings have survived and are now being used either to their original design, e.g. The Union Inn (Auntie Kates) a pub at Lock 16 in Camelon, or the old warehouses at Spiers Wharf which are now converted to flats, amongst others. In 1822 the Union Canal joined the Forth & Clyde Canal at Lock 16 in Camelon and this provided a direct route between the main cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. A shipbuilding industry also sprang up on the canal side, in some instances it was to build and repair lighters and canal craft for firms located on the Canal, and in others it was to build fishing vessels and the ships known as Puffers which travelled all round the Scottish coast. The completion of the Canal opened up Central Scotland to both domestic and international trade and the towns and cities within the reach of the Canal boomed.

The Forth & Clyde Canal enjoyed an active life, but by the end of the Second Word War there were faster ways to transport goods and this trade fell away but the day tripping and transits from one coast to the other continued, though to a lesser extent than before. In 1962 ownership of the Canal passed to British Waterways and after an Act of Parliament that year the Canal was closed to all traffic on 1st January 1963. The 1960’s were a time of decline, infilling and building of bridges over the canal to carry the larger roads now needed for the increasingly motorised population. However the 1970’s saw a renewed interest in the Canal and various private projects restored small sections of the Canal and it’s environs.

Falkirk Wheel

The Canal has being restored to it’s former glory as a result of the Millennium Link Project and since 2001 we have been able to travel once again from Bowling to Grangemouth and Edinburgh on the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals. This was made possible thanks to the completion of the Falkirk Wheel, a massive boat lift which was opened in 2002.

The two canals were previously connected by a series of 11 locks to the East of the site of the Falkirk Wheel, but by the 1930s these had fallen into disuse, were filled in and the land built upon. The difference in the levels of the two canals at the wheel is 24 metres, roughly equivalent to the height of an eight storey building. The structure is located near the Rough Castle Fort and the closest village is Tamfourhill. The wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and is regarded as an engineering landmark for Scotland.



Cart Junction Canal