Aberdeenshire Canal. History[edit] The canal was originally conceived as part of a bigger scheme to link Aberdeen to Monymusk, via Inverurie, with a branch from Inverurie along the course of the Urie Glen to Insch. Captain George Taylor conducted a survey, which confirmed that the plan was feasible, but only the first part of it, to Inverurie, was built.[1] An Act of Parliament was obtained on 26 April 1796, which created The Company of Proprietors of the Aberdeenshire Canal Navigation, and authorised them to raise £20,000 in £50 shares. No person was permitted to have less than one share or more than 40.[2] Work started in 1796.
In 1801, the project ran into financial difficulty and another Act was submitted to Parliament. In the Act, dated 24 March 1801, the company noted that of the £20,000 authorized by the previous Act, only £17,800 had been subscribed.[2] All of this had been spent and the company were now in debt. The canal eventually opened in June 1805. Conversion to a railway[edit] See also[edit] Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, of Great Britain/Aberdeenshire Canal. 36 George III. Cap. 68, Royal Assent 26th April, 1796. 41 George Ill. Cap. 3, Royal Assent 24th March, 1801. 49 George Ill. Cap. 3, Royal Assent 13th March, 1809. THIS navigation was executed by a company, incorporated by the name of "The Company of Proprietors of the Aberdeenshire "Canal Navigation," and was opened for the passage of vessels in June, 1805. Its commencement is in the harbour of Aberdeen, on the north bank of the Dee, and in the tideway at the mouth of that river.
The first act for executing this useful work is entitled, 'An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from the Harbour of Aberdeen, in the parish of Aberdeen, or St. In their application the proprietors stated, that of the £20,000 which they were authorized by their former act to obtain, only £17,800 had been subscribed, all of which had been expended, and several debts incurred. TONNAGE RATES. Tolls to be taken for any greater or less Quantity than a Ton, or greater or less Distance than a Mile. Overview of Aberdeenshire Canal. Aberdeen Canal. The Route of the Canal Waterloo Basin - Aberdeen Docks and tidal lock, Virginia Street Bridge, Fish Street Bridge, Constitution Street Bridge, King Street Bridge, Nelson Street Bridge, Mounthooly Lock, Canal Road Bridge, Kittybrewster, Stoneywood, Dyce Basin, Kinaldie, Dalweirie, Kintore Wharf, Port Elphinstone Basin. The Aberdeen Journal, June 5, 1805 Aberdeenshire Canal (commenced 1795 and fully completed 1807 for the sum of £44,000) - We have now the pleasure to announce the opening of this navigation.
On Friday morning the Committee of Management assembled at the Basin at Inverury, attended by the Provost, Magistrates, Minister, and other inhabitants of that burgh, who congratulated them on the completion of an undertaking, which must tend so much to the improvement of that, and other parts of the country. Closed for 150 years, this canal can still be traced on the ground. The Aberdeenshire Canal was one of Britain's most northerly waterways. Map Showing City Route of Canal Old Dyce. The Aberdeenshire Canal. An exploration of a lost waterway.Click on the pictures for larger versions. On a trip to Aberdeen in May 2006, I took the chance to indulge in a little industrial archaeology, and took a tour of the Aberdeenshire Canal, which once ran between the city of Aberdeen and the town of Inverurie, an important outpost.
The Aberdeenshire Canal is both enigmatic - it closed way out of reach of living memory - and elusive - much of it was destroyed by the railway that replaced it and by the sprawling urbanisation of Aberdeen. Today, only fragments of the canal remain, over 150 years since anything sailed down it. But maybe it's remarkable that so much has survived for the intrepid visitor to find today. To start the tour from Aberdeen click here,or choose a location from the menu on the left.
North Sea Trail | Article | Aberdeenshire canal basin at Woodside. View from the east of Aberdeenshire canal and canal bridge at Woodside, Aberdeen, about 3 miles inland from the basin at Waterloo Quay. 2000 Photo: Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums ©Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums Collections Aberdeenshire canal basin at Woodside This small stone bridge is a remarkable survivor from the days of canal transport in Aberdeenshire.
The canal was opened in 1805 and operated for about 40 years. The canal was first proposed by local landowners in 1795 in order to provide better transport between Aberdeen and its rural hinterland. Passengers could travel, at the rate of 2 pennies per mile, from Port Elphinstone to the Boat House, about two miles from the harbour, thus avoiding the time-consuming procedure of travelling through the locks. Canals have always presented their own dangers, and this one was no exception. A number of features of the canal can still be seen, including bridges and milestones. Author: Judith Stones, Keeper, Archaeology 2004 Copyright: English.
Aberdeenshire canal basin at Woodside | Coast Alive. The canal was first proposed by local landowners in 1795 in order to provide better transport between Aberdeen and its rural hinterland. By 1840, among the goods which travelled on it were around 4000 tons of lime, 5000 tons of coal, 1124 tons of meal, 54 tons of salt, 1100 tons of wood and 51 tons of granite.
The loads were pulled on barges by two or three horses harnessed in tandem. Some of the 56 road bridges along the route were so near the water level that the horses had to be detached and hooked on again after the boat had passed under the bridge. There were 17 locks, all within the modern Aberdeen City area, which raised the level of the cut to 168 feet above low-water mark. Passengers could travel, at the rate of 2 pennies per mile, from Port Elphinstone to the Boat House, about two miles from the harbour, thus avoiding the time-consuming procedure of travelling through the locks. Canals have always presented their own dangers, and this one was no exception. Inverurie Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland. Scotland from the Roadside - Inverurie. Site Record for Aberdeenshire Canal, Inverurie, Port Elphinstone Canal Terminal Aberdeen - Inverurie Canal, Port Elphinstone Canal TerminalDetails Details.
History of Port Elphinstone in Aberdeenshire | Map and description. Aberdeenshire Canal|Canalcuttings - Online canal magazine. CanalCuttings.co.uk are now supporters of the The Lapal Canal Project through the Lapal Canal Trust - Striving towards the incremental restoration of the decommissioned half of the Dudley No. 2 Canal, between Selly Oak in Birmingham and Halesowen in Dudley, eventually to full navigation via the Woodgate Valley. CanalCuttings - Your FREE Online-world British Inland Waterways, Narrowboat, River Cruiser, Canal Boat Magazine, Info Source and Britain's & Narrowboat Holiday Guide. Over 900 Pages of Information and Features About Canals, Navigable Rivers and Their Usage - We're not just a Narrowboat World Magazine. The website includes River and Inland Waterways information - UK Inland Waterways Press Releases and Articles Invited. Original Owner Aberdeenshire Canal Navigation Company The canal was bought by the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1845, who started the construction of a railway from Inverness to Aberdeen in 1849.
Aberdeenshire Canal. Northern Rural Life in the Eight - APPENDIX. Domestic Annals of Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution. By Robert Chambers. 3vols. 1859. Lectures on Scotch Legal Antiquities. By Cosmo Innes. 1872. Spalding Club Publications— List of Pollable Persons within the Shire of Aberdeen in 1696. Collections for History of the Shires of Aberdeen and Banff. Miscellanies, &c. 2. In June, 1739, a meeting of the Commissioners of Supply was held, and the minute bears inter alia:- "As to the Kintoir road recommend to tbe town of Aberdeen the management thereof, so far as their freedome goes; and recommend to Dr. In constrncting roads, what they did was simply to level out the site where the ground was hard and firm: and lay a causeway of rough stones in the low-lying and soft parts that could not otherwise be got over. A lang mile frae Harlaw, where a burn came down the Den and a hamlet stood, was a case in point.
Statute labour unwillingly given, and amateur overseership made but a poor business of it, arrange it as the county would. A Brief History of the Great North of Scotland Railway. Proposals for a line connecting Aberdeen to Inverness were first proposed in 1844. This proposal failed, but a more successful proposal was made in March 1845-6. The Great North of Scotland (GNSR) received Royal Assent in June 1846. This was intended to connect with the Aberdeen Railway which was approved the year before. The combined railways would connect Inverness to the railways of the south. Approval was expensive, with published accounts including 'entertainment' and bribes!
The start of construction was delayed by the poor financial situation and disagreements over the location of the Aberdeen Station. This initial line terminated at Kittybrewster in the northern outskirts of Aberdeen. Delays with construction of the GNSR, led to the people of Inverness to look for different railway connecions to the south. During this, and the next few years, the GNSR was involved in the building of a number of branchlines. The GNSR's relations with neighbouring railways were also poor.
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