The Almond Aqueduct, also known as the Lin's Mill Aqueduct, is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Union Canal over the River Almond in Scotland, west of Ratho, Edinburgh.

Almond Aqueduct
Coordinates55°55′16″N 3°26′01″W / 55.9212°N 3.4337°W / 55.9212; -3.4337
OS grid referenceNT105707
CarriesUnion Canal
CrossesRiver Almond
LocaleWest Lothian/City of Edinburgh
Maintained byBritish Waterways
Characteristics
Total length420 feet (130 m)
Height76 feet (23 m)
Location
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History

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The aqueduct was built to a design by Hugh Baird, with advice from Thomas Telford, in tandem with the Slateford Aqueduct and Avon Aqueduct, with which it shares its design.[1] Baird had originally proposed to have only a single span, with embankments carrying the canal the rest of the way, but eventually decided to use the same design as the other two aqueducts.[2]

Telford was not convinced that the stone arches were necessary in conjunction with the iron trough, but Baird used both on all three major aqueducts.[1] Construction was carried out by Messrs. Craven, Whitaker and Nowell between 1819 and 1821, their success in building a stone bridge over the River Ouse making their tender for the contract "by far the most eligible."[3]

In 1970 it was designated as a scheduled monument[4] and in 1971 it was given Category A status, being individually listed for each local authority (the river denotes the boundary between West Lothian and Edinburgh).[5][6] In 2003 the Union Canal became a scheduled monument[7] thus causing the aqueduct to be scheduled twice and leading to the original designation being removed in 2019.[4]

Design

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The Barton Aqueduct of 1761, and subsequent canal aqueducts in the United Kingdom, used large quantities of masonry and puddling to obtain watertightness.[3] After the success of The Iron Bridge in 1789, however, cast iron was used by Telford on aqueducts such as Chirk and Pontcysyllte.[3] Aqueducts built in the early part of the 19th century use either puddle clay or an iron trough in no particular pattern.[8] The Almond Aqueduct uses an iron trough to achieve watertightness, as well as containing the outward pressure of the water, allowing it to be of more slender construction than a purely stone aqueduct such as the Kelvin Aqueduct.[9]

Measuring 420 feet (130 m) long, it carries the Union Canal 76 feet (23 m) above the River Almond, from Edinburgh into West Lothian.[10] A sluice into the Almond allows regulation of the water level in the canal, and near to the aqueduct is a feeder from Cobbinshaw Reservoir.[2] The aqueduct can be reached by car by way of a track and by walkers and cyclists on the Union Canal towpath.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Avon Aqueduct, Edinburgh & Glasgow Union Canal". engineering-timelines.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Canal, Almond Aqueduct (50760)". Canmore. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Fleming, George (2000). The Millennium Link: The Rehabilitation of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals. Thomas Telford. pp. 23–26. ISBN 978-0-7277-2945-3.
  4. ^ a b Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Canal,Lin's Mill Aqueduct,575m SW of Clifton Hall (removed) (SM3000)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  5. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Canal, Almond Aqueduct, River Avon Near Linn's Mill (Category A Listed Building) (LB7430)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  6. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Canal, Almond Aqueduct, River Almond at Lin's Mill (Category A Listed Building) (LB27793)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  7. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Canal, Fountainbridge to River Almond (SM11097)". Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  8. ^ Cossons, Neil; Trinder, Barrie Stuart (2002). The Iron Bridge: symbol of the Industrial Revolution. Phillimore. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-86077-230-6.
  9. ^ Historic Environment Scotland. "Union Canal, Avon Aqueduct (47842)". Canmore. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  10. ^ "Almond Aqueduct On The Union Canal". scran.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
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