LUCS - THE FIRST
THIRTY YEARS |
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| 1970 Mel Gray, whose house backs onto the canal towpath, decided the canal had been neglected for too long and its full potential was not being realized. He started clearing the towpath with help from boys from Polmont Young Offenders Institution. | |
| 1972 First Rally was held at Manse Road Basin organized by
the Civic Trust and Scottish Inland Waterways Association (SIWA).
1975 Following
a Trades in Linlithgow exhibition with a display
about the canal the Linlithgow Union
Canal Society was founded.
The Society first activities were cleanups at Linlithgow,
Winchburgh and Sighthill. An old dredger was acquired
from British Waterways Board (BWB) and was converted into
a trip boat for carrying passengers. |
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1977
The
Society realising, there was nothing to keep visitors at
the basin while they waited for the next trip, decided to
open a museum in the disused stable
1987 'VICTORIA' was purchased. 1988 The Countryside Commission made a grant to the Society, which enabled them to build toilets in Canal Yard, which the Society owned. In the same year BW built a new slipway. Society members lowered and replaced carriageway and cobbled the quayside. |
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| 1990
The Society restored the potting shed to a workshop
with help from the Scottish Development Agency.
1991 The Society took over the lease of all the basin
buildings, which were re-roofed and the far end converted
into a tea-room. |
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| 1995 ST MAGDALENE was purchased with grants from West Lothian District Council, Lothian Regional Council, Gannochy Trust, a number of local companies, society members and the general public. |  |
2000 St MAGDALENE is converted from being electrically driven to diesel powered to increase available mileage when the canal is completely opened up.
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| 2006 A new wooden Chalet was built to replace the old
Pavilion
In March the founder Mel Gray died aged 85 yrs
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| 2008 A new Educational Centre was built in Canal Yard and named the Mel Gray Centre |  |