Manse Road, Linlithgow
2022 will be the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Union Canal linking Edinburgh with the Forth & Clyde. Once carrying both freight and passenger traffic, it soon fell victim to competition with the opening of the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway and passed into the ownership of the railways, being closed to commercial traffic by the LNER in 1933 before formally closed in 1965. The Linlithgow Union Canal Society (LUCS) was formed in 1975 with the objectives of restoring and promoting use of the canal and its heritage.
Since then, LUCS has been based at the canal basin which, offering a tranquil canal atmosphere and splendid views to Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. To the east it is bounded by Bridge 43, to the south by the Canal Museum (c.1820 stables for the canal horses) and to the west by Canal House, c.1835, a standard three-bay villa (home of Hugh Baird, the canal engineer) distinguished by its round-arched door and splendidly sinuous fanlight. To the north are the Canal Cottages, c.1840 (built as the Union Canal Inn), which are split-level, one floor entered from the towpath, and the other from Canal Terrace (rather like the Colonies in Edinburgh).
The Cottages were restored by Gordon Duncan Somerville, c.1974, and with the return of the Canal to navigational condition under the Millennium Link project, this quarter has a new vitality as walkers, cyclists and boats pass, and linger, on the route between Edinburgh and Falkirk. LUCS’s unpaid volunteers are responsible for the facilities and all activities including:
• Operating and maintaining the Society’s boats and premises
• Staffing the Museum and Tea Room
• Engaging in canal clean-ups and conservation
• Taking part in local events such as Deacons’ Night and The Linlithgow Marches
• Organising social events for members
• The Canal Fun day and cardboard boat race
• Sales and fund-raising events
• Publishing books and pamphlets
• Giving talks and slide shows
• Promoting LUCS activities through this website, leaflets, advertising and the press.
On 9 June 2015, a plaque at the entrance to the Canal Centre Tearoom was unveiled by Provost Tom Kerr and Professor Professor Paul Jowitt, past President of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The plaque acknowledges the designation of the Union Canal as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the ICE Panel for Historic Engineering Works in Scotland (PHEW Scotland). Afterwards Professor Roland Paxton of PHEW Scotland presented LUCS with a rare original edition (April 1815) of Thomas Telford’s first report on the Union Canal.
The National Transport Trust Red Wheel Heritage Plaque was unveiled on 8th April 2022 by Lord Lieutenant of West Lothian Moira Niven MBE, David Shirres and Linlithgow Union Canal Society chair, Chris Matheson-Dear with Jerry Swift, Deputy Chairman and John Yellowless, Vice President, National Transport Trust
Photos: John Yellowlees; Jerry Swift, Martine Stead; Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 4.0. <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Addditional images:
2013 Fun Day
1975 canal rally at basin with horse drawn U66
1912 Scow carrying Sunday school picnic
1975 Cottage Stable building with LUCS first boat U66
1986 Drambuie canal marathon at the basin
Linlithgow Railway Station is a five-minute walk away, and was the first in the world to be photographed.
Brown, H. (1997) Exploring the Edinburgh to Glasgow canals. Edinburgh. Page(s): 27 RCAHMS Shelf Number: J.6.11.BRO
Dennison and Coleman, E P and R. (2000a) Historic Linlithgow: the architectural implications of development, The Scottish burgh survey. Edinburgh. Page(s): 41, 114 Fig. 20 RCAHMS Shelf Number: D.7.33.LIN
Hutton, G. (1993a) The Union Canal: a capital asset. Glasgow. Page(s): 13 RCAHMS Shelf Number: J.6.11.HUT
Jaques and McKean, R and C. (1994) West Lothian: an illustrated architectural guide, RIAS/ Landmark Trust series. [Edinburgh]. Page(s): 22 RCAHMS Shelf Number: D.7.3.JAC
Shirres, D. (2022) A history of the Edinburgh & Glasgow Union Canal – opened 1822 – and the Linlithgow Union Canal Society – founded 1975 - Available from canal museum at weekends for £7.50 and the Far From the Madding Crowd bookshop on Linlithgow High Street.
