| Description | The Monkland Canal ran for 12 miles from Woodhall, North Lanarkshire to Glasgow, to serve the North Lanarkshire coal mines. The Glasgow terminus was the Monkland basin, near Glasgow cathedral. From there it was linked to the Forth & Clyde Canal. Work began in 1770 under James Watt. The Monkland Canal opened in 1793, having cost £120,000, In the first half of the 19th century, the Monkland Canal was the most profitable in Scotland. It was merged with the Forth & Clyde Canal in 1867. Traffic ceased in 1935. The canal continued to be used to provide water to the Forth & Clyde, but successive sections were filled in until the 1960s. The route of the canal provided a useful corridor for the M8 motorway into Glasgow. It is possible to see some remains of the canal in Drumpellier Country Park, Coatbridge. |