BOATS ON THE CANAL
AT THE LINLITHGOW CANAL CENTRE

'Victoria', designed to resemble a Victorian steam packet boat, was built by Braunston Boats on the Grand Union Canal in 1974. She is 36 feet long, and carries up to 12 passengers, seated in an open area.

'St Magdalene' was built in 1990. She is a modern steel vessel with a vee bottom, 45ft long and 8ft wide with covered accommodation for 40 passengers, a toilet and a small galley.

Her name comes from the area to the east of the canal basin.  In the 14th century a chapel to St Magdalene and a hospice, firstly for lepers and then for general use, stood on the area where the Bowmore bonded store now stands. Round this hospice developed the village of Magdalens and the surrounding lands took the name. When the distillery was built on some of these lands in the 19th century, it took the name St Magdalene producing a malt whisky of that name until it closed several years ago. The distillery used water from the canal for cooling purposes. The distillery is now closed and been converted into housing.

'Leamington' is a small traditional narrow boat 30ft long with a diesal engine.  There is an enclosed cabin and an open foredeck (with curtains), a toilet, a sink and a small cooker.  Maximun passengers 12 which is made up off 10 passengers, a driver and one crew. It is an ideal day hire boat to try out driving a narrow boat before a holiday on a canal boat.