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Site of a canal basin, the southern end of the Aberdeenshire canal. The canal was opened in 1805 and operated for about 40 years. It carried goods and passengers between Aberdeen and Port Elphinstone, near Inverurie, a distance of about 18 - 19 miles. The canal was first proposed by local landowners in 1795 in order to provide better transport between Aberdeen and its rural hinterland. By 1840, among the goods which travelled on it were around 4000 tons of lime, 5000 tons of coal, 1124 tons of meal, 54 tons of salt, 1100 tons of wood and 51 tons of granite. The loads were pulled on barges by two or three horses harnessed in tandem. Some of the 56 road bridges along the route were so near the water level that the horses had to be detached and hooked on again after the boat had passed under the bridge. There were 17 locks, all within the modern Aberdeen City area, which raised the level of the cut to 168 feet above low-water mark. Passengers could travel, at the rate of 2 pennies per mile, from Port Elphinstone to the Boat House, about two miles from the harbour, thus avoiding the time-consuming procedure of proceeding through the locks. Canals have always presented their own dangers, and this one was no exception. One old man is said to have fallen in and drowned while washing himself, while several cases were reported of new-born children being thrown in. The canal only had a life of around 40 years and closed in 1854, having been superseded by the Great North of Scotland Railway, which was in part built upon the line of the canal. A number of features of the canal can still be seen, including bridges and milestones. Certain stretches of the canal have been scheduled by Scottish Ministers as ancient monuments.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Aberdeen City
HER -
NJ90NW0888 - WATERLOO QUAY