Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal in Scotland. It links the Forth at Grangemouth in the East, to the Clyde at Bowling. There is also a branch to Port Dundas in Glasgow. The branch was built to secure the agreement and financial support of Glasgow merchants who feared losing business if the canal bypassed them completely.
Construction started in 1768 and did not finish until 1780.
Between 1789 and 1803 the canal was used for trials of William Symington's steamboats, culminating in the Charlotte Dundas, the "first practical steamboat".
The canal became dis-used in the late 19th Century, and most of the locks connecting the Forth and Clyde to the Union Canal were infilled. As part of the Millennium celebrations in 2000, National Lottery funds were used to regenerate the canal. A boatlifting device, the Falkirk Wheel was built to connect the two canals, allowing boats to travel from Glasgow to Edinburgh once more. The Falkirk Wheel opened on May 27, 2002 and is now a prime tourist attraction in Scotland.
It was designed by John Smeaton.
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