Falkirk Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal dug through Prospect Hill in Falkirk, Scotland. [1] Completed in 1822, the tunnel is 630 metres long. [2] [3] It was built because the owner of Callendar House had objected to the planned canal spoiling the view from their property. [3] [4]
The murderers Burke and Hare worked on the construction of the tunnel as labourers. [2] [5]
The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowed navigation from Edinburgh on the east coast to the port of Glasgow on the west coast. The canal is 35 miles (56 km) long and it runs from the River Carron at Grangemouth to the River Clyde at Bowling, and had an important basin at Port Dundas in Glasgow.
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It opened in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project, reconnecting the two canals for the first time since the 1930s.
The Union Canal, full name the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal, is a canal in Scotland, running from Falkirk to Edinburgh, constructed to bring minerals, especially coal, to the capital. It was opened in 1822 and was initially successful, but the construction of railways, particularly the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, which opened in 1842, diminished its value as a transport medium. It fell into slow commercial decline and was closed to commercial traffic in 1933. It was officially closed in 1965. The canal is listed as three individual scheduled monuments by Historic Scotland according to the three former counties, Midlothian, West Lothian and Stirlingshire, through which it flows.
Avonbridge is a small village which lies within the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is 4.8 miles (7.7 km) south-southeast of the town of Falkirk. Avonbridge sits just inside the council boundary line between Falkirk and West Lothian councils.
Ratho is a village in the rural west part of the City of Edinburgh council area, Scotland. Its population at the 2011 census was 1,634 based on the 2010 definition of the locality. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Ratho Station, Newbridge and Kirkliston are other villages in the area. The Union Canal passes through Ratho. Edinburgh Airport is situated only 4 miles (7 km) away. The village has a high ratio of its older houses built from whin stone due to a whin quarry nearby. The older, historical, part of the village was designated a Conservation Area in 1971 by Midlothian County Council.
Callendar House is a mansion set within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk, central Scotland. During the 19th century, it was redesigned and extended in the style of a French Renaissance château fused with elements of Scottish baronial architecture. However, the core of the building is a 14th-century tower house.
Winchburgh is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Linlithgow and 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Broxburn.
Allandale is a small village in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. Allandale is located 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south-west of Bonnybridge, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north-east of Cumbernauld and 5.4 miles (8.7 km) west-southwest of Falkirk. The entire village is a row of terraced housing along a section of the B816 road from Bonnybridge to Castlecary. The village is bordered to the north by the Forth & Clyde Canal and to the south by the former LMS railway.
The Forth and Clyde canal pathway runs between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde and is a 106-kilometre-long (66 mi) footpath and cycleway that runs across Scotland, between Bowling, west of Glasgow, and Lochrin Basin in Edinburgh. The path runs on the towpaths of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals and is entirely off-road. The path is well maintained and its surface is generally good, although there are some stretches particularly between Falkirk and the outskirts of Edinburgh where wet weather leads to muddy conditions unsuitable for road intended bicycles. It is well used by walkers and cyclists, and designated as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot. It also forms part of the National Cycle Network, being designated as Route 754. Sustrans advises that the path is best followed from the Clyde to the Forth because the prevailing wind is from the south west. Much of the path is also suitable for experienced horseriders, although in some places low bridges, narrow aqueducts and gates may restrict access for horses.
Linlithgow is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edinburgh and Falkirk beside Linlithgow Loch. The town is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Edinburgh.
Lochrin is a small area in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is in the south-west corner of the city centre, to the west of Tollcross, and south of Fountainbridge. Lochrin contains a wide mixture of retail shops, leisure facilities, other businesses and tenement housing. Major new office and residential developments have replaced some of the older buildings.
Glen Village is a settlement in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, situated at the southern end of Callendar Park, and around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Falkirk town centre. It adjoins the housing estate of Hallglen, with the two localities counted together in most official statistics.
Bavelaw Castle is a historic house in the City of Edinburgh Council area, Scotland. It is north of Hare Hill in the Pentland Hills, four miles west of Penicuik, and two miles south of Balerno, above Threipmuir Reservoir. It was designated as a Category A listed building in 1971.
Greenhill is a village which lies in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is located on the outskirts of Bonnybridge, 4.3 miles (6.9 km) west of Falkirk. Greenhill is situated south of the Forth and Clyde Canal and north of the railway line at Greenhill Junction.
Almond Castle is a ruined L-plan castle dating from the 15th century. It is located 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Linlithgow, and north of the Union Canal, in Falkirk, Scotland. It was known as Haining Castle until the 17th century. The structure is unsound and is protected as a scheduled monument.
Events from the year 1822 in Scotland.
Stockingfield Junction is a canal junction which lies between Maryhill and Ruchill in Glasgow, Scotland. It opened in 1777, and closed in 1963, followed by restoration and a re-opening in 2022. At first a terminus it formed the junction for the Port Dundas branch off the Forth and Clyde Canal main line from 1777.
Glasgow Bridge is the site of a road bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal; it is also the site of a Roman fortlet, on the Antonine Wall, halfway between the Roman forts at Kirkintilloch and Cadder.
Bantaskine is a park with woodlands in Falkirk, Scotland that was formerly the Bantaskine Estate, a coal mining estate. The artist Mary Georgina Wade Wilson grew up there. The Battle of Falkirk Muir was fought nearby. It is also known as South Bantaskine. North Bantaskine, on the other side of the Union Canal, was an agricultural estate. It is listed as a historically significant archeological site by Historic Environment Scotland.
The Falkirk Braes is a geographical and sociopolitical entity within the Falkirk local authority area in Scotland. The population is approximately 32,000 (2018), about 20% of the total for Falkirk council area.
55°59′19″N3°47′35″W / 55.9886°N 3.7930°W
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