Tributes flow to the engineers who built mighty aqueduct
Clean water from loch to the city
A royal re-enactment was held on Monday to mark the 160th anniversary of one of Scotland’s most important pieces of civil engineering.
It was on October 14, 1859 that Queen Victoria opened the Katrine Aqueduct, part of the infrastructure built to bring fresh water the people of Glasgow. Actors donned period costume to recreate the milestone event at the spot alongside Loch Katrine where it took place.
One of them, dressed as Queen Victoria, repeated the words spoken by the monarch on the day she declared open the megastructure.
Those famous words were: “It is with much gratification that I avail myself of this opportunity of inaugurating a work which, both in its conception and its execution, reflects so much credit on its promoters, and is so calculated to improve the health and comfort of your vast population, which is rapidly increasing round the great centre of manufacturing industry in Scotland.
“Such work is worthy of the enterprise and philanthropy of Glasgow and I trust it will be blessed with complete success. I desire that you convey to the great community which you represent my warmest wishes for their continued prosperity and happiness.”
The aqueduct takes water from the Loch Katrine to treatment works which then supply 1.3 million people in Glasgow and west central Scotland.
A key part of Scottish Water’s network, the aqueduct began construction in 1855 and remains fully operational today supplying to two large water treatment works at Milngavie and Balmore.
The commemoration event included three public sailings of the SS Sir Walter Scott and the Lady of the Lake by the Steamship Sir Walter Scott Ltd from Trossachs Pier to Stronachlachar.
Actors portraying Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as well as members of the Forest Theatre Company from Gartmore, gave interactive performances during the sailings and informed passengers of the history and heritage of the aqueduct.
The Katrine Aqueduct scheme cost £3.2m to build, around £320m today, and currently supplies 110 million gallons of water each day.
A £15.7 million refurbishment scheme by Scottish Water is also proposed which will include structural repairs of three stretches of tunnel and a bridge, as well as improvements to the tunnels’ lining as well as repairs to the control valves.
Gary Caig, Scottish Water’s water operations manager west, said: “The Katrine Aqueduct was fit for a queen then and is still now and remains a hugely important part of our infrastructure so we are really excited to be involved in this celebration of its formal opening.
“It has certainly, in Queen Victoria’s words, ‘improved the health and comfort of the city’s vast population’ and continues to do so to this day.
“With climate change and sustainability being so important in the 21st century, it is still as efficient and environmentally-friendly now as it was then because it takes water by gravity – without the need for pumping - from Loch Katrine to the Milngavie and Balmore water treatment works before it is distributed to customers.”
Billy Petrie, chair of the Sir Walter Scott Steamship Trust, said: “Apart from being a beautiful loch in the heart of the Trossachs and the birthplace of tourism in Scotland thanks to Sir Walter Scott’s novel, the Lady of the Lake, Loch Katrine and the aqueduct play a central role in the everyday life of the Glasgow area.
“So it’s only right that we pay tribute to the talented engineers of the Victorian age whose work enabled clean water to flow from loch to city.
“The special sailings we’ve put on, with the actors providing a bit of colour and fun, is a fitting and entertaining way to pay tribute to what a remarkable feat the construction of the aqueduct was.”
The Katrine Aqueduct was fit for a queen then and is still now and remains a hugely important part of our infrastructure Gary Caig Scottish Water