Spynie Canal

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Spynie Canal

Spynie Canal is a canal in Moray, Scotland, which lies between Elgin and Lossiemouth. It drains into the River Lossie near its mouth at Lossiemouth.

Moray Council area of Scotland

Moray is one of the 32 Local Government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.

Scotland Country in Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Sharing a border with England to the southeast, Scotland is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, by the North Sea to the northeast and by the Irish Sea to the south. In addition to the mainland, situated on the northern third of the island of Great Britain, Scotland has over 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides.

Elgin, Moray former cathedral city and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland

Elgin is a town and Royal Burgh in Moray, Scotland. It is the administrative and commercial centre for Moray. The town originated to the south of the River Lossie on the higher ground above the floodplain. Elgin is first documented in the Cartulary of Moray in 1190 AD. It was created a Royal Burgh in the 12th century by King David I of Scotland and by that time had a castle on top of the present day Lady Hill to the west of the town.

Contents

History

Spynie Canal was created as the culmination of attempts to drain Loch Spynie (which survives as a small loch) and the low-lying areas between Spynie Palace and Lossiemouth, the surplus water flowing through sluice gates at Lossiemouth. Thomas Telford was consulted in 1808 and the contractor for the work 1808-11 was a Mr Hughes, who had worked on the Caledonian Canal. The unprecedented floods of 1829 caused considerable damage and subsequently dykes were thrown up along the canal's banks. [1] [2]

Spynie Palace castle

Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th Century. It is situated at Grid Ref NJ 230658, about 500m from the location of the first officially settled Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Moray, in present-day Spynie Churchyard. For most of its occupied history, the castle was not described as a palace — this term first appeared in the Registry of Moray in a writ of 1524.

Thomas Telford Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason

Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and road, bridge and canal builder. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well as harbours and tunnels. Such was his reputation as a prolific designer of highways and related bridges, he was dubbed The Colossus of Roads, and, reflecting his command of all types of civil engineering in the early 19th century, he was elected as the first President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a post he held for 14 years until his death.

Caledonian Canal canal

The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford.

See also

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References

  1. Forres Gazette, 17 September 1884, p. 4, article entitled 'History of Spynie Canal'
  2. Historic Environment Scotland. "Seatown Bridge over Spynie Canal  (Category B) (LB37613)" . Retrieved 20 March 2019.

Coordinates: 57°41′14″N3°16′41″W / 57.68713°N 3.27813°W / 57.68713; -3.27813

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

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