TheDingwall Canalwas a short tidalcanalrunning from the town ofDingwallto theCromarty Firthin the county ofRoss and Cromarty,Scotland.It was completed by 1819, to provide better access to the town, but was not a commercial success, and was abandoned in the 1880s after the arrival of the railways.
| Dingwall Canal | |
|---|---|
 The canal in 2009 | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Locks | 0 |
| Status | reverted to river |
| History | |
| Principal engineer | Thomas Telford |
| Date completed | 1816 |
| Date closed | 1880s |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Dingwall |
| Connects to | Cromarty Firth |
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History
editIn 1578, John Leslie theBishop of Rossproduced a map of Scotland, which was published in Rome.[1]Dingwall was of sufficient importance to be included on the map, and whenJames VIawarded it a burgh charter in 1587, it mentionedcoblesand small boats. However, there was a problem caused by the deposition of alluvium from the riversCononand Orrin, which made access more difficult, and by 1773 the burgh was in a depressed state. There is some indication that improvements were made to the river soon afterwards, on a plan dated 1777, but a major scheme was actioned in 1815. The River Peffery was made deeper and wider, to allow boats to reach the town. The project was designed by the canal engineerThomas Telfordand involved diverting the river through a temporary cut so that a new course for it could be constructed. The work was completed by 1819, at a total cost of £4,365, to which the burgh had contributed £100 in 1815.[2]
The canal was not a commercial success, as it only generated an income of £100 per year. In 1828, Telford estimated that repairs were needed which would cost £800, and so the town council asked theCommissioners of Highland Roads and Bridgesto take over responsibility for it. Their action was not successful, and the burgh continued to manage it. By 1838, it was deemed to be a tolerably good harbour, and there was incoming trade in coal, lime and other goods, with grain, timber and bark passing in the other direction.[2][3]Ships could dock safely away from the mud flats in what was effectively atidal basin.
Decline
editThe canal was 1.1 miles (1.8 km) in length,[4]and its life was fairly short. TheInverness and Ross-shire Railwayarrived in Dingwall in 1863, becoming part of theHighland Railwaytwo years later, after which most of the traffic was lost,[5]and the canal ceased to be used by the 1880s.[4]The railway crossed the canal by a bridge which is a listed structure. Immediately to the north of the canal, the railway forks, with one line running northwards toWickandThurso,and the other running westwards to theKyle of Lochalsh.[6]The harbour at the mouth of the canal and a footbridge near the harbour are also listed structures.[2]
Legacy
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The route of the canal still forms a pleasant walk from the town to a picnic site on the Cromarty Firth, although there is a firing range nearby, which fires over the canal, and so there are red warning flags and signs to indicate when it is unsafe to use this route.
Dingwall has aCommon Good Fund,which was set up to benefit the people of the town. The deeds for the old part of Jubilee Park, which is located on the south bank of the canal, indicate that the canal is one of the assets of that fund, although no deeds have been found to prove that this is actually the case.[7]
See also
edit
Points of interest
edit| Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) |
OS Grid Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulloch Street bridge | 57°35′54″N4°25′44″W/ 57.5984°N 4.4289°W | NH549590 | Dingwall |
| Railway bridge | 57°35′54″N4°25′15″W/ 57.5983°N 4.4208°W | NH554590 | |
| Junction with Cromarty Firth | 57°35′34″N4°24′31″W/ 57.5928°N 4.4085°W | NH561584 |
Bibliography
edit- Cumberlidge, Jane (2009).Inland Waterways of Great Britain(8th ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson.ISBN978-1-84623-010-3.
- Lindsay, Jean (1968).The Canals of Scotland.David and Charles.ISBN0-7153-4240-1.
- Skelton, R. A. (1950). "Bishop Leslie's Maps of Scotland, 1578".Imago Mundi.7.Imago Mundi Ltd:103–106.doi:10.1080/03085695008591962.JSTOR1149965.
References
edit- ^Skelton 1950,pp. 103–106
- ^abcHistoric Environment Scotland."Dingwall Canal (12769)".Canmore.Retrieved9 October2022.
- ^Lindsay 1968,pp. 184–185
- ^abCumberlidge 2009,p. 388
- ^"Dingwall Historic Trail".Archived fromthe originalon 17 May 2008.
- ^"Site record for Dingwall Railway Bridge 218911".Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.
- ^R Cameron (13 March 2007)."Ross and Cromarty Common Good Funds, Section 3.5"(PDF).Ross and Cromarty Council. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 27 September 2011.
External links
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Media related toDingwall Canalat Wikimedia Commons