John Rennie and the Aberdeenshire Canal

Overview

As part of the commemoration of Rennie 200, this paper will give an understanding of the Aberdeenshire Canal and its history.

Not surprisingly after the passing of a couple of centuries, the full role that John Rennie played in the building of the Aberdeenshire Canal is now not entirely clear.

For a number of years prior to 1793, the building of a canal from Aberdeen into the heart of Aberdeenshire had been a topic for discussion. In that year, a group of interested parties arranged for a feasibility study to be carried out in relation to the building of a canal from Aberdeen harbour to just short of Inverurie and thence to Monymusk.

The line of the proposed canal was surveyed by Captain George Taylor and, encouraged by this survey, the promoters of this venture decided to advance the project – albeit only with a view to building the canal to Inverurie.