SOLD
 
An early 19th century tin document trunk used by the Caledonian Canal Commissioners. Tinplate construction with iron handles and lock plate. Original sage green paintwork and black signwritten annotation. In authentic unrestored/unpolished condition. Internal divider present but loose. A rare and important relic of urban history.
 
The first survey for a canal was carried out by James watt in 1773, but it was the Caledonian Canal Commission that paved the way for the actual construction, with an Act of Parliament (27 July 1803) passed to authorise the project. The canal engineer, Thomas Telford, was asked to survey, design, and build the waterway. He worked with William Jessop on the survey, and the two men oversaw the construction until Jessop died in 1814. The canal was expected to take years to complete, at a cost of £474,000. It actually didn't open until 1822, having taken an additional 12 years to complete, and at a final cost of £910,000. Over 3,000 local people had been employed in its construction. Ownership passed to the Ministry of Transport in 1920, and then to British Waterways in 1962.