Location type

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Description

This canal basin is at the western extreme of the Forth and Clyde Canal.

The basin is at accessed by the sea lock from Bowling Harbour on the River Clyde.

Railway sidings served the basin:
1850/58 Bowling Basin Sidings [NB] (north west quayside)
1896 Bowling Basin Sidings [CR] (east quayside)

Historically there was a quayside on the River Clyde to the south of the basin, this allowed trackboats on the canal to link with vessels operating on the Clyde. Nothing remains. This wharf was replaced by Frisky Wharf, further west by Bowling station.

The basin has been rebuilt several times.

The original version, somewhat more rounded, opened with the completion of the canal to the Clyde from the east in 1790. There was a single sea lock which faced south out into the River Clyde. (The depth of the river had been increased by John Golborne in the 1770s by means of the Lang Dyke.) There was a flagstaff to aid navigation. The canal to Grangemouth ran through a first non-sea lock and then directly east from the basin. The lock was crossed by the access road to the river pier.

The basin was rebuilt in 1846, part of the rebuilding associated with the conversion of Bowling Bay into Bowling Harbour and the impending opening of the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway (1850). A new sea lock exited the basin to Bowling Harbour to the direct west. Two short docks were formed at the north west of the basin, running west. The northern side of the basin was rebuilt in a long gentle to accommodate sidings and a transit shed. The docks were also served by sidings and there were turnplates. The pier on the River Clyde was augmented by a second pier, Frisky Wharf alongside Bowling station.

1858 saw the opening of the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway which passed to the north of the basin. To accommodate the line the access road to the basin was realigned a little to the west. The new line linked to the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway just to the west at Bowling Basin Signal Box. The opening of this railway was to rob the canal of a considerable amount of trade. The pier on the Clyde fell out of use.

In 1867 the canal came into the ownership of the Caledonian Railway along with the eastern half of Bowling Harbour.

The basin was rebuilt again in 1896 for the opening of the Lanarkshire and Dumbartonshire Railway, a protege of the Caledonian Railway. The eastern approach to the basin was realigned further north and the first non-sea lock located to the east, the original course of the canal was infilled. A new straight quayside was formed on the north side of the basin during the realignment, this involved some infilling at the north west of the basin and the loss of the docks. The canal was moved to accommodate the course of the new railway which crossed over by means of Bowling Swing Bridge. As the bridge would often be closed, blocking navigation, a second, upper, basin was built on the canal deviation north of the railway. All this activity also diverted the course of the access road. The original course of the canal east from the basin is betrayed today by a strange south to east curve on the east side of the basin, which is followed by an abrupt turn to the north to approach the swing bridge.

A low level bridge, just south of the swing bridge, also crossed the canal between the lower and upper basins, which allowed the L&DR to access the north side basin sidings. The east side was served by sidings additionally.

A concrete retaining wall is south east of the basin, the Bowling timber pond (or possibly an aborted extension to the basin).

The Canal House / Customs House survived all this reconstruction and still stands at its original location. With the 1896 canal deviation there is far less separation between it and the basin. It had faced the original first non-sea lock. Neighbouring buildings to the east were not so lucky and were swept away to accommodate the canal deviation and swing bridge.

The canal closed to navigation in 1963. The original and upper basins were retained to provide a harbour or refuge on the River Clyde and the sea lock (no 40) was kept in good order. The swing bridge was fixed in position around this date. The original sea lock (no 39) was closed around this date. Lock no 38 was also retained in working order as this gave access to moorings.

The various basin sidings were removed by the 1960s and the swing bridge line closed in 1964/65. The low level swing bridge was removed but the high level was left in place.

As part of regeneration of the area there have been, since the 1980s, plans for flat or house building at the basin.

The canal re-opened in 2001.

The swing bridge and former railway have re-opened as a high level walkway in 2021.

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