Strabane Canal

Strabane Canal
The restored Campsie's Lock
Specifications
Locks	2
Status	part restored
History
Date of act	1791
Date of first use	1796
Date closed	1962
Geography
Start point	Strabane
End point	Porthall
Connects to	River Foyle

[ ] Strabane Canal
To Derry Burndennet River Junction with River Foyle Porthall and Campsie's Lock footbridge Devlin's Lock Greenlaw Road bridge Park Road bridge bridge Spence Road bridge A5 Barnhill Road County Donegal Railway Bridge Strabane Basin Lifford River Finn and River Mourne

The Strabane Canal is a short (four mile) canal in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It connected the market town of Strabane to the navigable River Foyle and thence to the port of Londonderry on the north coast of Ireland. The canal opened in 1796 and closed in 1962.

The Strabane Canal was conceived by the Marquess of Abercorn as a way of encouraging industrial and commercial development in Strabane and its immediate surroundings, most of which was within his estates. An Act of Parliament was obtained to authorise the construction of the 6.4-kilometre (4.0 mi) canal, although the land required for the canal was bought by the Marquess's agents by agreement with the owners, and the project, which cost £11,858, was privately funded by the Marquess, assisted by a loan of £3,703 from the Irish Parliament. The canal ran from the tidal waters of Lough Foyle at Leck, some 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) upstream from Derry, to Strabane. It left the Foyle just above its junction with the Burndennet River, to enter Campsie's Lock. The main water supply was from a stream which entered the canal above Devlin's Lock, the only other lock built.

Construction began in late 1791, with John Whally of Coleraine acting as engineer, after the plans had been inspected by Richard Owen, then working on the extension of the Lagan Canal from Lisburn to Lough Neagh. Most of the canal was completed with a year, but construction of the locks and the junction with the Foyle took much longer, and was finally finished in 1795. An official opening took place on 21 March 1796, amidst great celebrations. The "respectable inhabitants" ate at the Abercorn's Arms, and proposed many toasts, while ale was supplied to the general populace, and there were bonfires and illuminations.

The locks were designed to accommodate sea-going schooners, capable of carrying 300 tons of cargo. Devlin's lock was 108 by 23 feet (32.9 by 7.0 m), with 7 feet (2.1 m) of water over the cill, while Campsie's Lock was 117 by 24 feet (35.7 by 7.3 m), with a depth of 6.5 feet (2.0 m). Tolls were collected by the Marquess's agents, at a flat rate of two shillings (10p) per ton. An upstream trade in coal, timber, hardware and foodstuffs developed, although there was dissatisfaction with the tolls, which were considered by the merchants to be too high and unreasonable. Traffic from Strabane to Derry developed more slowly, but a trade in agricultural produce gradually increased. Lighters were towed by a steam tug to the entrance of the canal, while horses provided the power for the journey up to Strabane.