Aberdeenshire Canal

The canal eventually opened in early June 1805. The Committee of Management met at Inverurie, where they were congratulated on completing the task by the Provost, Magistrates, minister and others. They set off in the barge The Countess of Kintore, suitably decorated for the occasion, and travelled to Kintore, where they were met by the Magistrates and other inhabitants. Several groups of ladies joined them as they approached Aberdeen, and travelled through the locks. Crowds gathered on the banks, and refreshments were served on the boat. The band of the Stirlingshire Militia accompanied them for the final few miles. After seven and a half hours, they reached the terminal basin next to the docks, and retired to the New Inn for dinner and toasts.[8] Fourteen of the locks failed within the first few months, and reconstruction of the masonry resulted in the canal being shut[9] until October 1806. The engineer Thomas Telford approved the substantial reconstruction.[10] A third Act of Parliament was passed on 13 March 1809, which enabled the company to raise a further £45,000 for work on the canal,[3] but it seems probable that its powers were never used.[11]

The canal ran up the strath of the River Don from Aberdeen for a total of 18.25 miles (29.4 km)[1] to a terminus just south of Inverurie. The terminus area came to be known as Port Elphinstone after Sir James Elphinstone,[12] who was a keen supporter and financier of the canal. He lived nearby at Logie House near Oyne and Pitcaple. The canal had 17 locks, all in the first 4 miles (6.4 km) between Aberdeen harbour and Stoneywood, together with 56 road bridges, 20 culverts and five aqueducts.[13] From Stoneywood it ran level to Port Elphinstone and was used to carry both freight and passenger boats. Passengers were only carried on the top section, and disembarked at a building called the Boathouse,[14] situated above the five St Machar Drive locks. The fall from Stoneywood to the low water mark at Aberdeen was 168 feet (51 m). As originally built, it was about 17 feet (5.2 m) wide and 3 feet (0.91 m) deep. John Rennie suggested it should be 27 feet (8.2 m) wide and 4 feet (1.2 m) deep, and although it was enlarged in the first six years, it was only increased to 23 feet (7.0 m) wide and 3 feet 9 inches (1.14 m) deep.[1]

The original act had specified the maximum tolls that could be charged, ranging from 4 pence per ton per mile for hay, straw, dung peat and materials intended to be used as manure of for roadbuilding, 5 pence for corn, flour, coal, coke, iron, lime and most building materials, to 6 pence for timber, manufactured goods and anything not covered by the previous lists. The company could also charge "reasonable tolls" for any goods that were left on their wharfs for more than 48 hours. The actual rates charged were considerably less than the specified rates, being 1.5, 2 and 2.25 pence for the three categories.[15] From July 1807, passengers were charged 2 shillings for the journey from Aberdeen to Kintore or Inverurie, and 2 pence per mile for shorter journeys. The passenger boats left Aberdeen in the morning and returned later in the day, running three days per week. In September 1808, they started running every day, and there were three rates for various classes. Thus passengers in the fore cabin paid 2s 6d, those in the after cabin paid 1s 6d, and those who travelled outside were charged 1s.[10]

The canal created many benefits for the local community. Passenger boats ran twice daily during the summer months, but from 1816, some of their traffic was taken by coaches running on the turnpike road, which were quicker but more expensive. With easier transport, quarries near Kintore were able to obtain a contract to supply 700,000 cubic feet (20,000 m³) of granite for a major project at Sheerness. The Farmer Lime Company ensured that there were supplies of lime and coal available at Inverurie and Kintore, and a covered barge was obtained to improve the shipment of grain. Granaries were erected beside the canal at Inverurie. Inverurie prospered, with its population rising from around 500 when construction of the canal started, to 2,020 in 1841. Kintore, which was the principal depot for the canal, showed a more modest increase, from 863 in 1811 to 1,299 in 1841.[16] There were other benefits about which the company were less happy. They issued warnings to try to prevent the banks of the canal being damaged by people driving cattle to water, and using the banks for washing with tubs. More tragically, there were a number of cases where unwanted newborn babies were drowned in the canal.[11]

There was initially no direct connection to the Aberdeen docks, which made transshipment difficult, and it was not until 1834 that a sea lock was constructed, enabling boats to enter the docks at certain states of the tide.[1] The work was funded by those who held mortgages agreeing to forgo their dividends for a period, and the total cost was around £1,500.[17] The weather also created problems, with the canal normally being shut between December and March due to icing.[10]

The canal was never a financial success. It had cost nearly £44,000 to build, and revenues rose from £311 in 1807, the first full year of operation, to just £3062 in 1853, the last full year of operation.[9]

Plans for a railway from the south to Aberdeen were announced in 1844, and later that year, there were proposals to continue the line northwards, to reach Inverness. This would be called the Great North of Scotland Railway, and in 1845, they approached the canal company, to explore whether they could buy the canal and use it for their track bed. The canal had received £1,659 from tolls in 1844, and the passenger boats had made a profit of £200. The company predicted that revenues for 1845 would be around £200 higher than in 1844. Although the railway looked at an alternative plan, with the railway some distance from the canal, this was not needed, as their offer of £36,000 was accepted. The railway would inherit the privileges and liabilities of the canal company, and would therefore compensate several companies who had built granaries, sheds and wharfs to enable them to trade on the canal. The £36,000 was to be transferred on 1 April 1848, but the railway company were unable to complete the transaction, due to the state of the money market. The canal company agreed to the delay, but began adding interest at 5.5 per cent to the capital sum.[18]

The line would be single track, and the construction costs, which included the cost of the canal, were very favourable compared to other lines. In 1852, construction began at Port Elphinstone, westwards towards Huntly. This ensured that the canal could remain open for as long as possible. Despite the fact that the canal had not yet been bought by the railway, the contractors Erskine and Carstairs cut through the bank at Kintore, and drained the entire upper section from Port Elphinstone to Stoneybank. With the barges grounded, the canal company complained, and the bank was hastily repaired and the canal refilled. Some of the proprietors of the canal agreed to take railway shares in lieu of compensation for their canal shares, and the railway made an interim payment of £20,000, from which claims would be paid to the bondholders and shareholders. In February 1854, the canal company had received £39,272 from the railway, representing the original purchase price plus the interest. In 1848, the mortgage debt and the interest on it was around £18,600. The shareholders had never received any dividends, and thus were unlikely to recover the capital they had invested. The money was distributed without any distinction to holders of the old £50 shares and the new £20 shares.[19]

The canal was closed in early 1854 so that railway tracks could be laid along much of its length. The railway opened in September of that year.[20] Sir J D H Elphinstone, Sir Andrew Leith Hay and various other people rode in a special train, consisting of an engine and two carriages, from Kittybrewster, in Aberdeen, to Huntly, and found the entire line to be in good order. An official opening took place several days later, and the Aberdeen Journal described the route, mentioning the importance of Port Elphinestone as a centre for trade, caused by its former position as the terminus of the canal.[21]