Townhead Basin
Location type
PlaceName and dates
Townhead Basin (1783-1952)Description
This canal basin was the western terminus of the Monkland Canal in Glasgow, at the junction of Castle Street and Townmill Road. It was an important coal depot for Glasgow, and its industries, and the starting point for passenger boats to Coatbridge and Airdrie. Its location was obliterated with the building of the M8 motorway at junction 15.
The basin opened in 1783 with the extension of the canal west from Blackhill to Glasgow. The coal wharves had weighing machines, the area running east for about quarter of a mile on either side of the canal. (eg the depot of Alexander Baird.)
In 1791 the 'Cut of Junction' ran north and then west from the basin to reach Port Dundas Basin on the Forth and Clyde Canal. This was built to the 4ft depth of the Monkland Canal but by the Forth and Clyde.
The canal was officially closed in 1952. It was filled in during the late 1960s/early 1970s in preparation for taking the M8 through Glasgow.
Tags
Basin TerminusAliases
Townhill Basin11/04/2022
| Nearby stations Glasgow (Townhead) St Rollox [2nd] High Street College [1st] Glasgow Queen Street High Level Glasgow Queen Street Low Level Buchanan Street Gallowgate Buchanan Street [Subway] Glasgow Cross Gallowgate Central Garngad Bellgrove Argyle Street Barnhill | Bredesholm Coal Depot [Canal] Caledonian Pottery Provan Hall Coal Depot [Canal] St Rollox Saw Mills Glasgow Iron Works St Rollox Basin St Rollox Canal Junction [Canal] St Rollox Cotton Mill St Rollox Chemical Works Glebe Street Works Broomhill Cottage St Rollox Goods West St Rollox Foundry Castle Street Coal Depot Tourist/other Glasgow Cathedral |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| / /1790 | Cut of Junction Act passed for connecting canal between Port Dundas Basin on the Forth and Clyde Canal and Townhead Basin on the Monkland Canal. |
| 17/10/1791 | Cut of Junction Link between Port Dundas Basin on the Forth and Clyde Canal and Townhead Basin on the Monkland Canal opened to through traffic with the passage of the first vessel. The canal was built at the expense of the F&C but to the depth of the Monkland. |
| / /1824 | Cut of Junction
St Rollox Canal Charles Tennant & Co, of the nearby St Rollox Chemical Works, form a canal from the Cut of Junction, near the Monkland Canal's Townhead Basin, running north and then east to serve land they owned east of Castle Street and their chemical works. The land was to be sold in lots and the serving of the lots with a canal connected to the Forth and Clyde Canal and Monkland Canal would assist in the sales. The new owners of the land would jointly be responsible for maintaining the canal, Tennant would retain the canal solum. |
