This drawing of 1835 depicts Port Eglinton in Tradeston, the terminus of the Glasgow, Paisley & Ardrossan Canal just west of Eglinton Street near Cumberland Street. Port Eglinton was named after the Earl of Eglinton.
The canal was begun in 1807 in order that vessels could travel between the the city to the Ayrshire coast without having to navigate the shallows of the River Clyde. Only the section between Glasgow and Johnstone in Renfrewshire was completed, however, and opened in 1810. Initially the waterway was very busy, even after the opening of a new railway to Paisley in the 1840s, but its success was short-lived. It became derelict and in 1869 it was acquired by the Glasgow & South Western Railway Co, which drained it and built the Paisley Canal line along the route in the 1880s.
Reference: Mitchell Library 310408
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
canal basins, canal boats, canals, cranes, Glasgow & South Western Railway Co, Glasgow, Paisley & Ardrossan Canal, horses and carts, Paisley Canal Line, railways