Coil of Falkirk

The Roue of Falkirk (in English Falkirk Wheel ) is a rotary Ship lift, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Union Channel, close to the town of Falkirk in the center of the Scotland. This “wheel” is a single model of ship lift in the world, and constitutes a masterpiece of civil engineering which attracts many tourists. The the United Kingdom has another ship lift in addition, with Anderton in the Cheshire.

The wheel with a diameter of 35 m consists of two boxes, each one containing 600 tons of water and being able to transport 4 20 m length boats. It is enough to approximately 4 minutes to ensure a half rotation and to cross the uneven one of 25 meters.

The Wheel of Falkirk was inaugurated the May 24th 2002, by the queen Elisabeth II, at the time of the celebration of the gold Jubilee. Formerly, a series of 11 locks made it possible to connect the two channels. Into the Years 1930, they fell in disuse and were filled. Thanks to the funds coming from the National Lottery, the Commission of the Millenium ( Millennium Commission ) undertook to renovate the channels allowing to connect Glasgow to Edinburgh. An invitation to tender was launched to connect the two channels, and the project of the Wheel of Falkirk carried it.

See too

Internal bonds

List of the ship lifts

External bonds

Official Falkirk Wheel Website
the blog of Martin Catteau, nonofficial site

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