The
Linlithgow Union Canal Society is a
waterway societyA Waterway society is a society, association, charitable trust, club, trust or "Friends" group involved in the restoration, preservation, use and enjoyment of waterways, e.g. a canal, river, navigation or other waterway, and their associated buildings and structures, e.g...
and a Scottish registered charity based at Linlithgow Canal Centre on the
Union CanalThe Union Canal is a 31.5 mile contour canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and Features:...
at
LinlithgowLinlithgow is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. Those born in Linlithgow are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches, and the town's coat of arms shows a black dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island. Linlithgow's patron saint is Saint Michael and its motto is St...
,
West LothianWest Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk....
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Also known as "LUCS", it was founded in 1975 by Melville Gray to "promote and encourage the restoration and use of the Union
CanalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
, particularly in the vicinity of Linlithgow".
From 1970, Mel Gray had started to clear the
towpathA towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...
with the help of boys from HMYOI Polmont, a Young Offenders Institution.
The
Linlithgow Union Canal Society is a
waterway societyA Waterway society is a society, association, charitable trust, club, trust or "Friends" group involved in the restoration, preservation, use and enjoyment of waterways, e.g. a canal, river, navigation or other waterway, and their associated buildings and structures, e.g...
and a Scottish registered charity based at Linlithgow Canal Centre on the
Union CanalThe Union Canal is a 31.5 mile contour canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and Features:...
at
LinlithgowLinlithgow is a former Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. Those born in Linlithgow are sometimes nicknamed Black Bitches, and the town's coat of arms shows a black dog, chained to an oak tree, which grows on an island. Linlithgow's patron saint is Saint Michael and its motto is St...
,
West LothianWest Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk....
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Also known as "LUCS", it was founded in 1975 by Melville Gray to "promote and encourage the restoration and use of the Union
CanalCanals are artificial channels for water. There are two types of canal: aqueduct canals are used for the conveyance and delivery of water, and waterway canals are navigable transportation canals used for passage of goods and people, often connected to existing lakes, rivers, or oceans.The word...
, particularly in the vicinity of Linlithgow".
From 1970, Mel Gray had started to clear the
towpathA towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge...
with the help of boys from HMYOI Polmont, a Young Offenders Institution. This was followed by the first boaters' Rally at Linlithgow Canal Centre, organised by the
Scottish Inland Waterways AssociationThe Scottish Inland Waterways Association is a registered charity and association of canal societies and individual canal enthusiasts in Scotland....
and the
Civic TrustThe Civic Trust of England was a charitable organisation founded in 1957. It ceased operations in 2009 and went into administration due to lack of funds...
in 1972. In 1975 the Society acquired an old dredger from the (then) British Waterways Board, now
British WaterwaysBritish Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by government. It is the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals, and also some rivers and docks...
Scotland.
In the Seventies and Eighties, other canal societies began to be formed on the Union Canal and the Forth & Clyde Canal, including
Edinburgh Canal SocietyThe Edinburgh Canal Society is a charitable canal society on the Union Canal in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Society's main base is Ashley Terrace Boathouse at Lockhart Bridge, near Harrison Park in the Polwarth area of Edinburgh....
,
Forth Canoe ClubThe Forth Canoe Club, founded in 1934, is Scotland's oldest surviving canoe club. It is a founding member of the Scottish Canoe Association.The club originally met at Granton in North Edinburgh on the Firth of Forth...
,
Bridge 19-40 Canal SocietyThe Bridge 19-40 Canal Society is a waterway society and a registered Scottish Charity operating community boats on the Union Canal, with bases at Winchburgh and Drumshoreland, West Lothian, Scotland, UK .-History:...
and others. Persistent campaigning resulted in the restoration of the Scottish Lowland canals through the
Millennium LinkThe Millennium Link is one of the biggest engineering projects ever undertaken by British Waterways. The Union Canal and the Forth & Clyde Canal were joined by a flight of locks...
Project of which Linlithgow Union Canal Society was an official Partner. The Link connects the Union and Forth & Clyde canals by way of the unique
Falkirk WheelThe Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It is named after the nearby town of Falkirk in central Scotland...
boat liftA boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock and the canal inclined plane....
.
The Society administers the Linlithgow Canal Centre and operates boat trips, a tearoom and the new Mel Gray Education Centre. . Provision for schools includes boat trips to teach children water
safetySafety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
and other related topics, and the Education Centre is able to cater for all age groups.
Further boats were purchased in 1987 and 1995 and are taking visitors to Linlithgow or the
Avon AqueductThe Avon Aqueduct is an aqueduct on the Union Canal near Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is long and high; it is the longest and tallest aqueduct in Scotland, and the second longest in Britain...
; constructed by
Thomas TelfordThomas Telford was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
, it is the second largest
aqueductAn aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
in the UK and the longest in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The trip boat "Saint Magdalene" is named after the St. Magdalene Distillery.
The Canal Museum was created in 1977. It had started life as a stable for the boat horses and is now a resource centre for the study of the history of the UK canal system.
Linlithgow Union Canal Society hosted a
Scottish Inland Waterways AssociationThe Scottish Inland Waterways Association is a registered charity and association of canal societies and individual canal enthusiasts in Scotland....
(SIWA) Rally in 2008, and it participates in the annual Linlithgow Folk Festival.
Mel Gray, the founder, died in March 2006.
External links
See also