A surviving bank, channel and numbered milestone preserve part of the short-lived canal that linked Inverurie with Aberdeen harbour.
Quick facts
- Date
- Canal opened 1805; closed 1854
- Architect / designer
- John Rennie, consulting engineer; George Fletcher, resident engineer
- Type
- Canal bank, channel and milestone
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM7674)
- OS grid reference
- NJ 80056 15573
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
The protected section extends for roughly 440 metres. A broad earthen bank carried the towpath beside a channel cut partly into the natural slope, while the rounded fourteenth milestone survives close to Rosebank.
Its story
Parliament authorised the navigation in 1796 to improve movement between Aberdeen and its agricultural hinterland. The canal opened in 1805 but operated only until 1854, when the Great North of Scotland Railway adopted a similar alignment and erased much of the waterway.
Why it is included
Scheduling protects one of the few substantial canal fragments to retain both its earthwork form and an in-situ distance marker, supported by unusually rich documentary evidence.
What to notice
- The raised towpath bank beside the former channel.
- The surviving milestone marked with the number 14.
- Breaks where later gardens and access routes interrupt the line.
Reading the surroundings
Do not infer a public right of access from scheduling. Observe from lawful routes, close gates, avoid crops and livestock, and never excavate, detect, climb banks or disturb the milestone.
Timeline
- 1796 Parliament authorised a navigation between Aberdeen and inland Aberdeenshire.
- 1805 The completed canal opened to traffic.
- 1854 Railway construction displaced the navigation after less than fifty years.
- 1998 The surviving bank, channel and milestone were scheduled together.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The designation defines the protected remains, not a visitor route; surface visibility and lawful approach can vary with vegetation and land management.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Aberdeenshire Canal Remains near Brae of Kintore, SM7674 — Current designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Trove designation: SM7674 — Parallel national record identity and archival context.
Location
OS grid reference NJ 80056 15573 · Location confidence: High: the current national designation supplies an exact mapped National Grid Reference; public text separately states access and current-use uncertainty. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
Suggest a marker correction
Suggest a more accurate position
The teal marker is the current published position. The orange marker starts slightly to its right so both remain visible; this is only a visual starting position. Tap the correct place on the map or drag the orange marker. Sending this form creates a private review entry only; it does not move the published marker.
Check this area in Google Maps Choose the Satellite layer there if useful.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors. You can also enter checked coordinates below.