Luggie Aqueduct


The Luggie Aqueduct carries the Forth & Clyde Canal over the Luggie Water at Kirkintilloch, to the north of Glasgow.It is a Category A listed building.

History

It was built by John Smeaton for the Forth and Clyde Canal between 1768-75.

Design

The aqueduct is long with a single arch span of, and wide, with a full width canal that allows two boats to pass.
In 1848, the Campsie Branch line was constructed, and crossed the canal through the arch of the aqueduct but above the water beneath. The railway was carried on a twin-arch culvert to carry the water underneath it. The railway has since been removed, and there is now a footpath beneath the aqueduct but with the lines of the rails still visible. There is an old black and white picture of a boat crossing the canal, with a train passing underneath the boat, with the Luggie flowing below the train.
The sides of the aqueduct are arched, with a rise of about 1 in 10, a feature also employed on the Kelvin Aqueduct. The aqueduct and the bridge below are built from grey ashlar.