The Caledonian Canal was officially opened on 23rd October 1822. The idea was not new. James Watt, of steam engine fame, surveyed the route for the Commissioners of Forfeited Estates. Thomas Telford was asked to report to the Government on the practicalities of cutting a canal through the Great Glen for fishing boats and Royal Navy frigates. Telford's survey was not just of the canal but for a programme of works to improve communications throughout the Highlands. This information gives you some of the background and links to walks where you can see some of the features of the canal.

The canal basin at the western end is at Corpach only 200 metres away from Kilmallie House. John Telford (no relation of Thomas) was the resident engineer at the west end. He was paid £200/ year and given a house and a horse. We have no evidence but he was possibly one of the first residents of Kilmallie House. John Telford died in 1807 and was succeeded by Alexander Easton. Clachnaharry at the east end and Corpach at the west became the head quarters from which the canal works were directed. Telford, amongst other duties, acted as paymaster; this may account for the iron grill over one of the windows in the house.

The consulting engineer was William Jessop. The original specification for the canal was for a cut 15 foot deep with a bottom width of 50 feet. Excavated materials were to be used to build up the sides to a level high enough for 20 feet of water and a surface width of 110 feet. Locks were to be 162 by 38 feet. In 1803 there were preparations for works pegging out the line of the canal and doing trial pits. The size of locks was increased to 170 by 40 feet to take 32 and 44 gun frigates. The summit of the canal was at Laggan where deep cutting was necessary to bring the level down to that of Loch Oich which would need to be dredged. The canal was to be fed by the river Garry. Loch Lochy was to be dammed to raise its level by 12 feet. The canal was to use the bed of the river Lochy and a new outlet was to be cut for the river. The canal also uses the bed of the river Oich. Aqueducts were needed for the canal to cross the river Loy and other burns. A flight of locks was required at Banavie to raise the canal through 60 feet in a little over 500 yards.

Construction started at the west end with workshops, houses, turf huts and a brewery. A stone carrying vessel, the "Corpach"; was built at Chester. Local birch was sawn at Strone in a mill driven by water from the Loy. Rubble stone came from a quarry at Fassfern, good granite came from Ballachulish, limestone came from Sheep Island just off Lismore and was burnt in kilns on the west side of the basin. There was a rubble quarry at Banavie and a tramway built to carry the stone to the first culvert. Good freestone was imported from the Cumbraes and a royalty of 6p/ton paid to the earl of Glasgow.

At Glengarry timber was felled. At this time the rate for day labour was 1/6d.

At the sea lock an engine house was built in 1805 with a 20 h.p. engine needed to pump for excavation below the level of the sea. The canal basin was cut out of solid rock and completed in 1811.

The masons' first task after the buildings was the stone arches over the Shengan and (See Banquos Walk) river Loy, a 25 foot and two 10 foot arches. This was while the basin was being blasted and the canal bank and tramway to Banavie was being constructed. All this had to be done before the stone work on Neptune’s Staircase could be started. The Moy aqueduct was abandoned in favour of allowing the burn to flow in and out of the canal. The burn was disciplined by a series of waterfalls to stop debris getting into the canal.

All the land 194 acres for the Canal between Corpach and Loch Lochy was bought from Locheil for £2000, the equivalent of 30 years annual rent.

Culverts at Lower Banavie (2 arches) and upper Banavie (1 arch) were complete in 1806. Work was under way on an aqueduct at Muirshearlach and over the Loy arches.

In 1808 two substantial stone houses were built for lock keepers at Neptune's staircase. The stone masons used these initially. Work started on the locks in 1808. Stone came from Banavie, Fassfern and Cumbraes (hauled along the canal bank by horse. Each horse took a 3 ton load up an incline of 1:144. The masonry of the 8 locks was finished in 1811.

Part of the works associate with the canal was a new road from Banavie to Culross Burn. This is of interest, as it required 56 single arched stone bridges. The road was 16 feet wide with 14" gravel in the centre and 9" at the side.

At Gairlochy a new bed for the Lochy was cut which finishes at Mucomir where the bed was quarried to make a waterfall into the river Spean. A new bridge was constructed. A house similar to those at Banavie was built for the lock keepers. Stone came from a rubble quarry at Clunes.

At Laggan frame house were built for the workers. A railway was built to take stone from a rubble quarry at Kilfinnan. The bed of the canal was difficult to dig so the width was reduced to 30 feet. The engine used at Corpach was moved to Laggan. The dredging of Loch Oich necessitated the design and building of as dredger. Use of steam engines brought in the idea of steam tugs rather than towpaths. So neither the towpath on the Laggan section of the canal or the towpath along the SE side Loch Oich were constructed.