THE OLD CANAL - The Glasgow, Paisley & Ardrossan Canal

The canal that was never completed.
The Glasgow, Paisley & Ardrossan Canal was constructed to allow the movement of coal from pits in the west to Glasgow, and to allow goods made in Glasgow to be shipped to Scotland's west coast where ships in the harbour at Ardrossan could take them all over the world.
The canal was a good idea. In the early 19th century the River Clyde in Glasgow was too shallow to allow the passage of ships, so goods being imported or exported had to travel by road to Port Glasgow which, as the name suggests, was Glasgow's port at that time. But the roads were not in good condition, and it made a lot of sense to build a canal that would move goods backwards and forwards safely.
But the old canal ran out of money. The main financial backer, the 12th Earl of Eglinton whose name lives on in the Glasgow district Port Eglinton, died in 1819, and the stretch between Johnstone and Ardrossan was never built. In some old maps the canal is called the Glasgow, Paisley & Johnstone Canal, but in others it clings on to the 'Ardrossan' word, perhaps in the hope that some day it would be extended to its original intended west coast harbour.
After a brief visit to the Port Eglinton area of Glasgow, close to the exact location of the Glasgow terminus of the canal, we head for Paisley Canal railway station and attempt to follow the old canal route in search of any remnants of this waterway. For the canal was filled in in the 1880s and the route then used by the Glasgow and South Western Railway Company to build a new railway line that passed through Paisley. But the railway line itself was closed in the 1980s, partially reopened between Paisley and Glasgow, and the section west of Paisley tuned into a cycle/walkway as part of the National Cycle Network.
Is there anything left of the canal? Apart from a little bridge - Tannahill's Bridge - that once sat over the canal, and a large reservoir that was formed when the canal closed, well ... ... pretty much nothing. Even the Ferguslie Thread Works that once sat by this reservoir, once one of the largest mills in the world, has gone, and all that is left is one gatehouse and that bit of water, used these days by swans and not for the movement of manufactured goods.

[@seldom_seen_kid]

Glasgow Street in Ardossan is the main road in the town and leads down to the harbour. It was built double wide and was meant to have the canal running down the middle.

[@steveclarke8169]

I have a soft spot for Paisley, having been born in Ross Hospital, which was an overflow hospital for expectant Glasgow mothers when the Glasgow maternity wards were 'stowed out', or so I have read. My mum still lives in Renfrewshire and when I make it back home, I seem to spend most of my time running her about Linwood, Johnstone and Paisley. Thank you for putting this video together. Mon the Buddies!

[@alexbowman7582]

I was born in Paisley too, 1st November 1965. From Maryhill and a maternity hospital less than a ten minute walk away to Paisley which almost killed me as I came out with the umbilical cord around my neck.

[@StevieBluenoseScott]

Great stuff Eddy ,tinged with sadness and anger. Town planners and developers could at times be considered criminals - so much unnecessary destruction done in the name of "progress".

[@EdExploresScotland]

Absolutely.

[@golfingmags5]

You’re right - great adventurers having to ask directions isn’t a good look😂😂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@GG-im1cb]

Thanks for that Eddy, I was aware of the old canal as I stay right next to the railway, but I didn’t realise that it diverged slightly in parts from the railway and the comparison maps put the canal much closer than it thought it was and it’s about 30m from the bottom of my garden 😀. If only it was still there now😞

[@EdExploresScotland]

The National Library of Scotland's map comparison viewer is a seriously good way of comparing the past with the present. It's just so accurate.

[@colinblack7049]

Hi Ed, when you think of all the industry that used to be in Glasgow that's now flattened for carparks and shopping centres it's terrible. The Forge shopping centre is a prime example, it wasn't only Beardmore foundry that was flattened.

[@EdExploresScotland]

These days it's all shopping centres and houses and not a great deal in the way of industry.

[@tracyfryer8153]

Brilliant and sad but you do a brilliant job with great research keep being you ❤

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Tracy.

[@derekogilvie6942]

This was really enjoyable, well constructed, filmed and edited - thanks for posting! As someone who left Scotland 17 yrs ago your content brought back many memories. When I was a child in the 60's and 70's living in Foxbar, a council estate built on the fringe of the town of Paisley, two of my next door neighbors were managers in Paisley Mills. In fact many kids at school had parents working there and that industry was seen as a major local employer prospect when you left secondary education. Mill closures devastated Paisley and as they also took place around the time of the Linwood Car Factory demise you can imagine the outcome. Paisley has never recovered. Parts of the town are literally shocking. The degradation heartbreaking. When I fly 'back home' and into Glasgow Airport especially with friends from around the World, I avoid travelling into the town centre. I find it too shocking and embarrassing. It fills me with anger that a town once having dynamic and a pulsing heart - especially in the 60's and 70's - appears to me to be broken, lost and forlorn.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Derek. I suppose the one good thing that has survived from those halcyon days of employment is the grand architecture. I always enjoy a visit to Paisley for that alone.

[@juliemcmeekin2095]

you learn something every day i was born in paisley barshaw hospital in 1951 and brought up in linwood i then went to school in paisley left 1966 i can remember getting late night train to canal st station or elderslie great days .i left in 1979 when maggie and her lot destroyed scotland.

[@mitchellsteele3878]

Thank you eddy for a great vid, I was born in Johnstone hospital 63 started my life with parents in Paisley then moved to Barrhead, now live in the Cotswolds in the village of Lechlade on Thames, interesting regarding the Glasgow, Paisley canal as here we have the Cotswolds canal that there trying to reopen between Lechlade to Gloucester, sad to see a huge amount of history being erased and forgotten and as you say the Victorian era knew how to make things well, ie Barrhead had Shanks , Paisley had Brown & Polson, Thomas Coats mill and many many more, my aunt worked in the coats mill and from what I was told Thomas coats was the first to introduce pensions in the work place, I was christened/ baptised in the Thomas coats church which again is a stunning building , many thanks , Mitch

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Mitch. When you think about all the canals they've managed to save in the Birmingham area; just a shame so many have been lost. Good luck with the Cotswolds canal.

[@ianrobertson7759]

Brilliant video! Living nearby, I often wondered the history behind the railway line and canal that stood before it. I remember walking past you that day you were filming and had no idea what you were doing! Thanks

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Ian.

[@DessieTots]

Ed you can thank Cllr. Irene Adams for the destruction of the last of the Victorian mill buildings. No doubt she was offered an incentive to make sure that the area was cleared for developers. She also destroyed Paisley High Street with idiotic pedestrianisation which a lot of towns soon discovered was a disaster for trade. The Victorian era buildings of Dykebar Hospital have also fallen victim to neglect and corruption. Beautiful to look at and massively built, there really is no viable excuse to not restore them but again one of the buildings was demolished last year. I have a photograph of this same building from a few years earlier which clearly shows how structurally sound it was. This sits near to another of the houses that has seen better days. But the exquisite floor tiling of the main entrance is still there. Again, massively built with thick wooden beams, brick and stone. The Half-Time school was used as the Ciba-Geigy social club ( I worked for a brief period behind the bar) and then as a dance venue. This guaranteed it’s destruction through a dubious fire which destroyed a building that I had a simple connection with through work and family. On the inside the Half-Time school was very much like other buildings of this type except for its stunning carved hardwood ceiling in what was used as the main area of the social club.

[@alanglasgowbassist]

Fantastic Eddie. Wasn’t aware of any of this!

[@TheROLLER1953]

Very informative video ed ,well done.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks 👍

[@grahammonteith9833]

There is still a very overgrown section of the Canal on Scott’s Rd just before Rosshall farm. Well hidden by trees and bushes and unseen from the road.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Graham. Yes, I can actually see it on Google, shown as a water-filled section.

[@user-hg1ky3cj2s]

Nice job Ed. It’s good to see the swans and what’s left of the canal still in good shape. That one building left is a beauty. I enjoyed the adventure. Lynn in Naples FL. 😊

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Lynn.

[@robertwright4651]

Great video Ed canals and towpaths before the hustle and bustle on the roads today

[@EdExploresScotland]

Peaceful places indeed.

[@Sarand69]

Excellent video.... Love the old photos at the end.... Cheers Eddie

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks George.

[@vermeerofdelftscotlandwalk3294]

A very interesting video. Pitlochry and Gleneagles stations have the old station buildings with waiting rooms. I've found that dogs are usually OK on busy paths, but on the quieter ones they often become aggressive guard dogs. Sometimes the owner apologises, sometimes not. Great video.👍

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you. I think the dog was just suspicious of me wandering backwards and forwards to and from the camera. No damage done, and the owner did apologise. I just got a fright.

[@charlesmair26]

Thanks for another good one ED...

[@andyp9040]

I used to work in paisley. The road is causeyside street which splits the old station from the new one its not causwayhead road👍. Another building that you need to look at it paisley is the old rai hospital building. Further up causeyside street. It has a fascinating history and is still half derelict. I spent alot of time getting kids and adventure seekers out the building as it was dangerous👍 good video again eddy👍

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Andy.

[@kenmaxwell790]

Yet again, an excellent video, and the music fitted it well. Thanks Eddy for all your research. The old maps are fantastic. Best wishes from Sydney Australia from the son of a Glaswegian and regular visitor to Glasgow.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Ken.

[@jocoma_photography]

Did my degree at Paisley College of Technology and spent many years catching the train to Paisley. Had no idea about the history of the canal.

[@davew5583]

Class mate, I’ll always watch your vids.

[@dannygmtg]

Ah ye didn’t make it to the old canal terminus in Johnstone. Not anything left to see now but it is still called Canal Road with a car garage and derelict ground where the basin was. Perhaps there’s remnants in the undergrowth. One nice local fact is that locals (possibly a dying out thing since I’m 34 and learned it from my grandparents) is that locals never call it Canal Road. It’s The Boat Road. Given it would’ve been well filled in even by the time of my grandparents then they must’ve picked the colloquialism up from their parents or grandparents Great video once again Ed!

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Danny. I should probably have at least shown an old map of the Johnstone end of the canal. This link shows the Johnstone basin on an 1857 Ordnance Survey map on the National Library of Scotland website. You can zoom in using the mouse-wheel or the '+' on the top left. Interesting to see that here the railway follows a completely different route to the canal. Also interesting to see a little section of what looks like a canal but is more probably a wide mill lade or water supply for Floors Mill and the Engine Works. maps.nls.uk/view/74964113

[@dannygmtg]

@@EdExploresScotland hey Ed. Use it a fair bit for work if there’s a gap in the maps we get via Groundsure (or if something odd comes up when in the field) The current Johnstone station was built while the canal still existed. This become known as Johnstone ‘High’ station whose I assume was as it was at the top of the Thorn brae. This would have went to ardrossan/Largs/Ayr and would have been a new alternate route to the canal. I assume it was as the canal was still used for leisure and to avoid knocking down too much existing infrastructure. The ‘low’ station was built later either during or after the infilling of the canal. This partially follows adjacent to the route of the canal as shown in your video as the cycle track currently follows it. It wouldn’t have fully followed the route as this line went towards kilbarchan and then beith etc or split off through Linwood to Kilmalcolm. I too hate to see the demise of old buildings. If they are unsafe then it’s a sad demolition but some seem to be deliberately left to rot before the wreckers ball hits. The Patons mill In Johnstone followed this path. Once shut it sat for years. Was meant to be flats or a museum but was hit by the mysterious bank holiday Monday fires twice and then demolished. There’s an Aldi there now. Not even the chimney could be saved. Only remnant is the gate house which now houses the substation. Many of the old industry buildings are long gone in the area but there’s still some interesting features if you know where to look

[@hillmangt1]

@@dannygmtgThe other station was called Johnstone North.

[@kaysridgedell2358]

Really interesting, thanks Ed

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you.

[@noodletowns]

Thanks

[@EdExploresScotland]

Many thanks.

[@qtronicqilt8898]

@ 11:44 I thought your tripod and camera was gonna get stolen there, Phew. Ed should have a contract with #stv #bbc would make a great 30 minute TV show on Scottish Television, QQ.

[@EdExploresScotland]

I'll contact them to see if they have a spare camera-looker-afterer person. 👍

[@grahamstewart615]

The victims of the Paisley Canal disaster were very unlucky. The Canal itself wasn’t that deep. The failure was there doesn’t seem to have been any safety equipment.

[@tonym08]

A great wee video. Sadly most of Scotland's industries have all but gone. As an ex steelworker, I have seen what the Tories have done to our industry. By the way the owner of the dog didn't seem to bother about who his dog had a go at, well at least it didn't bite.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Tony. I have never been able to understand why Government didn't protect industries, like the steel industry. All they had to do was ban steel imports, and hey presto: a continuing flourishing UK steel industry, complete with jobs, workers with money to spend, and a growing economy. But that's probably too simplistic and naive a thought.

[@tonym08]

@@EdExploresScotland Too true. We've lost steel, coal and ship building and many more Scottish industrie.

[@Carol......]

Hello Ed, You just popped up in my recommended videos, so first time viewer. Enjoyed this one and the old Ayr video so far 😊 I'm looking forward to watching the rest of them over the coming weeks now 👍 Where do you hail from yourself ?

[@EdExploresScotland]

Hi Carol. I'm from Glasgow in Scotland. With over 200 videos in my channel you've got enough to last you up to a couple of years. Enjoy.

[@gerardrooney4366]

Ed, yet another great video, history and music. Ed I do have a wee question, when you are out and about and you turn your back on the Camera and walk off up the road is there anyone with you standing behind the Camera? I always expect some NED to grab it and take off down the road! All the best.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Many thanks. It depends on the area. Some places I wouldn't leave the camera, and others it seems pretty safe. But it is always a slight concern.

[@johnmull59]

I think one of the last things that town planners do is plan for the future. But not many businesses, councils or governments actually do long term planning - virtually everything is short term, sticky plaster approach, done on the cheap. They still haven't grasped that doing things on the cheap now ends up being more expensive in the long run. The Victorians had pride and a sense of solidity....but not in everything. Different times!

[@williamwilliam5242]

❤❤❤

[@lisadolan689]

🙏☺️

[@Teenibash1969]

I’ve watched Paisley really go downhill in the past 25 years. Ruined by successive councils. It’s a shadow of its former self.

[@EdExploresScotland]

It's a scenario that could probably be echoed in many towns in Scotland, all brought on as a result of the loss of industry and thousands of jobs.

[@mudlarkingmarionette]

Sad to see the beautiful building being allowed to disintegrate ; happened everywhere always a forgone conclusion with the mighty developments surrounded in intrigue and bargain basement sell offs.

[@DG-mv6zw]

Renfrewshire Council has that rare and uncanny ability of spending taxpayers money in order to bring about the demise of this town. I'm sure it could've destroyed Paisley for a lot less money. I'd laugh if it weren't so unnecessarily tragic! 😂😢 And the council ain't finished with its quest to wipe Paisley off the face of the Earth! Its doing a very thorough job of felling Paisley's trees. There's obviously quite a few local tree surgeons contracted by the Council who are making a great deal of money. Even the ubiquitous privet hedges found in every Paisley housing scheme have been ripped out by the council and fences put up in their place. Yet another assault on our overall green spaces.The irony is staggering! If trees are the lungs of the planet then Paisley is its pulmonary embolism! 🫁