Scott Russell Aqueduct | |
|---|---|
 Scott Russell Aqueduct | |
| Coordinates | 55°55′18″N3°18′25″W / 55.9218°N 3.3070°W Coordinates: 55°55′18″N3°18′25″W / 55.9218°N 3.3070°W |
| OS grid reference | NT184706 |
| Carries | Union Canal |
| Crosses | A720 bypass |
| Locale | Edinburgh |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 330 feet (100.6 m) |
| Width | 12.8 feet (3.9 m) |
| Traversable? | No |
| Towpaths | N Side |
| Location | |
 | |
The Scott Russell Aqueduct is an aqueduct carrying the Union Canal over the Edinburgh City Bypass, west of Edinburgh, Scotland.
The aqueduct was opened in May 1987 to carry the canal over the new Edinburgh City Bypass. [1] [2] This required a great deal of faith in the future of the canal, which culminated with the Millennium Link project when the Union Canal was connected with the Forth and Clyde Canal to form a coast to coast link. [3] One proposal had been to not build an aqueduct to carry the canal across the new road, but instead build a marina to the west of the bypass. [4]
It was named after the Scottish naval engineer John Scott Russell in a ceremony on 12 July 1995, who had discovered the soliton or solitary wave near Bridge 11 on the Union Canal in 1834. [5] [6] Russell had observed a bow wave continue to travel forward at a speed of 8 or 9 miles per hour (13 or 14 km/h) when a boat stopped moving, and called it the "wave of translation." [5]
The aqueduct is the width of a single canal boat, and crosses the Bypass at a slight angle. [7] It has five spans supported on three piers. [2]
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 central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The lift is named after Falkirk, the town in which it is located. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project.
John Scott Russell FRSE FRS FRSA was a Scottish civil engineer, naval architect and shipbuilder who built Great Eastern in collaboration with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He made the discovery of the wave of translation that gave birth to the modern study of solitons, and developed the wave-line system of ship construction.
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.
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.
The Kelvin Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct in Glasgow, Scotland, which carries the Forth and Clyde Canal over the River Kelvin.
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.
The Slateford Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Union Canal over the Water of Leith at Slateford, Edinburgh, Scotland. Completed in 1822, it has eight arches and spans a length of 500 feet (150 m).
The Millennium Link is one of the biggest engineering projects ever undertaken by British Waterways. The Union Canal and the Forth & Clyde Canal were originally joined by a flight of locks. The Millennium Link project replaced the locks with a boat lift, the Falkirk Wheel.
The Edinburgh Canal Society is a charitable canal society on the Union Canal in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Society's main base is Ashley Terrace Boathouse at Lockhart Bridge, near Harrison Park in the Polwarth area of Edinburgh.
The Linlithgow Union Canal Society is a waterway society and a Scottish registered charity based at Linlithgow Canal Centre on the Union Canal at Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland. Also known as "LUCS", it was founded in 1975 by Melville Gray to "promote and encourage the restoration and use of the Union Canal, particularly in the vicinity of Linlithgow".
The Helix is a land transformation project to improve the connections between and around 16 communities in Falkirk Council, Scotland, including the eastern end of the Forth and Clyde Canal, and to regenerate the area near where the canal joins the River Carron. The most visible feature of the development is the two unique equine sculptures known as The Kelpies.
The Avon Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Union Canal over the River Avon, near Linlithgow, Scotland.
Seagull Trust Cruises is a waterway society and Scottish charity.
The Bonnington Aqueduct is an aqueduct on the Union Canal, to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Hugh Baird was a Scottish civil engineer, who designed and built the Union Canal. Born at Westertown, Bothkennar, Stirlingshire, he was the son of Nicol Baird, surveyor to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and was a younger brother of engineer Charles Baird.
Events from the year 1834 in Scotland.
Events from the year 1822 in Scotland.
The Luggie Aqueduct carries the Forth & Clyde Canal over the Luggie Water at Kirkintilloch, to the north of Glasgow.It is a Category A listed building.
The Leamington Lift Bridge is a lift bridge that crosses the Union Canal near its terminus at Lochrin Basin in Edinburgh.
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