Dalmuir Drop Lock

Introduction

The photograph on this page of Dalmuir Drop Lock by Richard Sutcliffe as part of the Geograph project.

The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk

Dalmuir Drop Lock

Image: © Richard Sutcliffe Taken: 21 Jan 2022

The Forth and Clyde Canal is crossed by the A814, Dumbarton Road (seen on the left). When originally built there was a swing bridge here, but this was removed after the canal had gone out of use. With the revival of the canal a new solution was required to allow boats on the canal to negotiate the crossing. The answer was the first drop lock to be constructed in the UK. A large lock chamber was built under the road bridge. Boats enter the lock, the lock gates are closed behind them. They then wait until water is pumped out to lower the level enough for them to pass under the roadway. Once they are on the other side the water is pumped back in, the lock gates on the other end are opened and the boat can proceed. This photograph replicates the first image for the square Image photographed and submitted in 2005.

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