Monument record MHG55565 - Drainage channel, Loch a'Ghlinne

Drainage channel running in Glen Meodal between Loch a'Ghlinne and the sea (roughly between NG 577052 and NG 592 054), 1,872 yards long, 27 feet wide and c. 8 feet deep. It was built by local labourers in 1831, with the Ardvasar smith James Macdonald providing ironwork. Similar drainage work was carried out in Strath Suardal from Loch Cill Criosd, with the smith in Broadford paid for his work there (Macdonald Estate papers Factory Accounts 1831-2, no. 5896).
The channel was cut partly to allow salmon to reach the loch, but also to drain the marshy ground surrounding the loch. The canal, just over a mile long, has a fall of less than 20 feet so no fish ladder was needed. Near the sea a solid bank of rock over 5 feet had to be cut through. It was kept clear of weeds until the 1930s.

Macdonald Estate Papers 4029 Title Receipts (copy) for account due by Lord Macdonald to John (Maclean?) and Co. 'for cleaning deepening and extending cut from Dalville to see being 1,872 yds long, 27 ft wide and about 8 ft deep for the sum of £115. 25 November 1874

Macdonald Estate Papers 4625/6 Receipt. <1>