First 200 Years of the Union Canal - Mike Smith

Wed, Jul 4th 2018 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Image Wikipedia - Kim Traynor


Mike Smith, a member of the Linlithgow Union Canal Society and  Linlithgow Grange Rotary Club took the meeting through a fascinating history of early Scottish canals before focusing on his main subject, The Union Canal.
Mike, showing early maps and engravings, explained how wealthy Glasgow merchants in the late 1700’s, wishing to extend their sea trade with the Baltic and Low Countries without having to make the slow and perilous trip round the north or south of the UK mainland, funded a canal linking the Clyde and Forth rivers. This canal opened in 1790 with the Forth terminal close to Falkirk.
True to form in Glasgow/Edinburgh rivalry, the Merchants of Edinburgh wanted in on the action and in 1888 began the construction of a canal linking Edinburgh to the Forth & Clyde terminal at Falkirk. The survey and engineering design work was undertaken by Hugh Baird who appointed Thomas Telford for the design of bridges and aqueducts. The construction work was highly labour intensive with much of the labour force originating in Ireland. It is testament to the skill and hard work of all involved, bearing in mind the meagre equipment available, (horses, carts and shovels) that the canal was completed in only four years, opening in 1822.
The water sources for the canal were Cobbinshaw Reservoir and the river Almond.  Mike, in one of his many fine screen images showed a contemporary painting by artist Sam Bough illustrating the Edinburgh basin of Port Hopetoun at the height of it’s commercial activity in the 1830’s.
Profit from canal traffic slumped with the opening of the railway between Glasgow and Edinburgh and in 1849 the railway company bought the canal, maintenance was suspended and effectively ended commercial use.
Mike made a special point of noting the link between the canal and the physics of the “single wave” theory and proof espoused by George Scott Russell.  Russell first noticed the phenomenon on the canal when a horse pulling a barge bolted and created a single bow wave at the barge. This sparked his curiosity and subsequent research.
Mike illustrated the long journey restoring the canal to it’s present navigable status, including the spectacular Falkirk Wheel with some fine screen images.
Graham Low gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the Club to Mike for an excellent and well illustrated presentation.            


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