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Neptune's Staircase - Wikipedia
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id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">System of canal locks in Scotland, U.K.</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox vcard"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above" style="text-align:center; background: #0099ff;color:white;">Neptune's Staircase</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image" style="padding-bottom:0.4em; border-bottom:solid 1px #aaa;"><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="/wiki/File:Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg/260px-Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg" decoding="async" width="260" height="274" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg/390px-Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg/520px-Neptune%27s_Staircase_2017_left.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3767" data-file-height="3968" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption">Aerial view from the west</div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image" style="padding-bottom:0.4em; border-bottom:solid 1px #aaa;"><a class="mw-kartographer-map notheme mw-kartographer-container center" style="width: 250px; height: 200px;" data-mw-kartographer="mapframe" data-style="osm-intl" data-width="250" data-height="200" data-zoom="10" data-overlays="["_3789efd33764a5e64a616bbde81e0cd5b16d1753"]"><img src="https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,10,a,a,250x200.png?lang=en&domain=en.wikipedia.org&title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&revid=1176700097&groups=_3789efd33764a5e64a616bbde81e0cd5b16d1753" width="250" height="200" decoding="async" srcset="https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,10,a,a,250x200@2x.png?lang=en&domain=en.wikipedia.org&title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&revid=1176700097&groups=_3789efd33764a5e64a616bbde81e0cd5b16d1753 2x" alt="Map" /></a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Waterway</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Caledonian_Canal" title="Caledonian Canal">Caledonian Canal</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Maintained by</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Scottish_Canals" title="Scottish Canals">Scottish Canals</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Operation</th><td class="infobox-data">Hydraulic</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">First built</th><td class="infobox-data note">1811</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Length</th><td class="infobox-data">180 feet (55 m)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Width</th><td class="infobox-data">40 feet (12 m)</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Fall</th><td class="infobox-data">64 feet (20 m)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data">Staircase of 8 locks</td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Neptune's Staircase</b> (<a href="/wiki/Ordnance_Survey_National_Grid" title="Ordnance Survey National Grid">grid reference</a> <span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion" style="white-space: nowrap"><a class="external text" href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Neptune%27s_Staircase&params=56.845034_N_5.095573_W_region:GB_scale:25000">NN113769</a></span>) is a <a href="/wiki/Staircase_lock" class="mw-redirect" title="Staircase lock">staircase lock</a> comprising eight locks on the <a href="/wiki/Caledonian_Canal" title="Caledonian Canal">Caledonian Canal</a>. Built by <a href="/wiki/Thomas_Telford" title="Thomas Telford">Thomas Telford</a> between 1803 and 1822, it is the longest staircase lock in Britain. The system was originally hand-powered but has been converted to <a href="/wiki/Hydraulic_machinery" title="Hydraulic machinery">hydraulic</a> operation. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Description">Description</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Description"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg/220px-Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="170" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg/330px-Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg/440px-Neptunes_Staircase01arch_2007-08-21.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2519" data-file-height="1945" /></a><figcaption>Looking up the staircase</figcaption></figure> <p>Neptune’s Staircase at <a href="/wiki/Banavie" title="Banavie">Banavie</a>, near <a href="/wiki/Fort_William,_Highland" class="mw-redirect" title="Fort William, Highland">Fort William</a> just north of <a href="/wiki/Loch_Linnhe" title="Loch Linnhe">Loch Linnhe</a>, is kept by <a href="/wiki/Scottish_Canals" title="Scottish Canals">Scottish Canals</a>. It is the longest staircase lock in Britain, lifting boats 64 feet (20 m).<sup id="cite_ref-rcahms_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-rcahms-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It consists of eight locks, each 180 feet (55 m) by 40 feet (12 m), and it takes boats about 90 minutes to pass through the system.<sup id="cite_ref-rcahms_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-rcahms-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Lindsay_1968_146–147_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Lindsay_1968_146–147-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The current lock gates weigh 22 tons each, and require a team of at least three lock-keepers to operate the staircase. They usually operate on an "efficiency basis"; that is, they try either to fill each cut with ascending boats or with descending boats, or to allow for passing, i.e. a dropping craft to pass a rising craft on the same fill/empty cycle. </p><p>Prior to mechanisation, the locks were operated by capstans, each with four poles, which had to make seven full revolutions to open or close a gate. Each gate leaf had two capstans, one to open it and another to close it. There were 36 capstans on the flight, and 126 revolutions were required for a boat to travel up or down the complete flight. With the advent of hydraulic rams and push-button control, transit times through the flight have been reduced from just over half a day to 90 minutes.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The base plinths of the original capstans can still be seen, although the capstans themselves have been removed. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The Caledonian Canal was conceived by the engineer <a href="/wiki/Thomas_Telford" title="Thomas Telford">Thomas Telford</a> after the government asked him to look at measures which might stem emigration from the Highlands. He suggested that the construction of public works would provide employment, and would also help to develop industry, fishery and agriculture. An <a href="/wiki/Act_of_Parliament" class="mw-redirect" title="Act of Parliament">Act of Parliament</a> obtained in July 1803 established a board of commissioners to oversee the work. Telford was appointed as principal engineer, with <a href="/wiki/William_Jessop" title="William Jessop">William Jessop</a> as consulting engineer. There were two resident engineers; the one covering the southern section, including Neptune's Staircase, was John Telford, who was no relation to the principal engineer.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>It was intended to build the locks 162 by 38 feet (49 by 12 m), with smaller locks beside them through which boats carrying<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Cleanup" title="Wikipedia:Cleanup"><span title="Wikipedia:Cleanup">or is this the displacement?</span></a></i>]</sup> up to 200 tons could pass, but after consideration of the size of 32-gun frigates and ships which traded with the <a href="/wiki/Baltic_Sea" title="Baltic Sea">Baltic</a>, the size of the main locks was increased to 170 by 40 feet (52 by 12 m), and the smaller locks were omitted. It was decided to arrange the locks in clusters to reduce the cost of the project, and so Banavie was chosen as the site for eight locks. On the <a href="/wiki/Forth_and_Clyde_Canal" title="Forth and Clyde Canal">Forth and Clyde Canal</a>, low level crossings were carried over the canal by <a href="/wiki/Bascule_bridge" title="Bascule bridge">bascule bridges</a>, but Telford and Jessop rejected this arrangement for their canal, as they thought the risk of masts being damaged by them was too great. Consequently, cast iron <a href="/wiki/Swing_bridge" title="Swing bridge">swing bridges</a> were used, and both the road and the railway at the foot of the flight cross bridges of this type.<sup id="cite_ref-Lindsay_1968_146–147_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Lindsay_1968_146–147-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>To provide rubble-stone to build the locks, a quarry was opened at Corpach Moss. By June 1809, three of the locks had been completed, and although completion of the flight was expected in 1810, there was a shortage of labour, and only three more were finished. The final two were ready by the end of 1811.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> As built, the staircase locks were 180 feet (55 m) long, rather than the 170 feet (52 m) of the single locks.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Construction of the rest of the canal dragged on, and it was not finally opened until October 1822.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Traffic through the locks developed steadily, and in 1824 an inn was created for passengers on the steamboats, by converting one of the lock houses on the flight. Three steamboats regularly ran between <a href="/wiki/Glasgow" title="Glasgow">Glasgow</a> and <a href="/wiki/Inverness" title="Inverness">Inverness</a>, taking six days to complete the round trip.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>There were some teething problems, and the canal was closed for two weeks in April 1829 while problems with the Banavie locks were rectified. James Loch, who produced a report on the canal in 1835, declared that the inn at Banavie was too small, and too far from Corpach, despite having praised it the previous year.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> George May produced another report in 1837, in which the Banavie locks were heavily criticised. He described the masonry as "execrable", and argued that the contractor who had built them had not expected them ever to be used, but had somehow managed to hide the poor workmanship from Telford. A suggestion that the canal should be abandoned was, however, circumvented.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Repairs to the locks were required in 1880<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and in 1910: there were serious defects in the masonry. By the end of the <a href="/wiki/First_World_War" class="mw-redirect" title="First World War">First World War</a>, the canal was in serious financial difficulties, with maintenance costs far exceeding revenue, and in 1920 the Ministry of Transport made a grant of £11,000 for major repairs to the Banavie locks. The canal closed for nine weeks while the work was carried out. A further stoppage of three months occurred in 1929, when a <a href="/wiki/Drifter_(fishing_boat)" title="Drifter (fishing boat)">Drifter (fishing boat)</a> broke through two of the Banavie lock gates, causing flooding.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-left" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg/220px-Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg/330px-Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg/440px-Neptune%27s_Staircase.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="600" /></a><figcaption>Looking down the locks to the entrance canal from <a href="/wiki/Loch_Linnhe" title="Loch Linnhe">Loch Linnhe</a> and the sea</figcaption></figure> <p>The canal passed into the care of the British Waterways Board in 1962. A programme of mechanising the locks was begun, and all locks were mechanised by 1969. There were several calls to close the canal following accidents in which ships hit lock gates, or masonry collapsed, and by the 1990s the canal was in crisis. Lock walls were bulging and leaking, and the cost of rebuilding the locks and replacing the gates was estimated at £60 million. The money was not available, and so engineers devised another plan, which cost only one third of that. Over ten winters from 1995 to 2005, sections of the canal were drained, and the locks were repaired by drilling holes into the double-skinned walls, after which stainless steel rods were used to stitch the walls together, and huge quantities of <a href="/wiki/Grout" title="Grout">grout</a> were used to seal and waterproof the structures. New lock gates were fitted, and where necessary, new stone blocks were cut to make repairs, rather than using concrete. By the end of the project, 16,000 holes had been drilled, 25,000 tons of grout had been used, and the locks were probably in better condition than they had been since they were first built.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1266661725">.mw-parser-output .portalbox{padding:0;margin:0.5em 0;display:table;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:175px;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .portalborder{border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa)}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-entry{display:table-row;font-size:85%;line-height:110%;height:1.9em;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-image{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-link{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .portalleft{margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0}.mw-parser-output .portalright{clear:right;float:right;margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em}}</style><ul role="navigation" aria-label="Portals" class="noprint portalbox portalborder portalright"> <li class="portalbox-entry"><span class="portalbox-image"><span class="mw-image-border noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="flag" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/32px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="32" height="16" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/48px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/64px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span></span><span class="portalbox-link"><a href="/wiki/Portal:United_Kingdom" title="Portal:United Kingdom">United Kingdom portal</a></span></li><li class="portalbox-entry"><span class="portalbox-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg/28px-Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg.png" decoding="async" width="28" height="28" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg/42px-Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg/56px-Nuvola_apps_ksysv_square.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1000" data-file-height="1000" /></a></span></span><span class="portalbox-link"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Transport" title="Portal:Transport">Transport portal</a></span></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Canals_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="Canals of the United Kingdom">Canals of the United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/History_of_the_British_canal_system" title="History of the British canal system">History of the British canal system</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fonserannes_Locks" class="mw-redirect" title="Fonserannes Locks">Fonserannes Locks</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="References">References</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-rcahms-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-rcahms_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-rcahms_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/highlights-big-picture/2-september-2009-neptunes-staircase">"Neptune's Staircase"</a>. <i>Exploring Scotland's places</i>. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">6 May</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Exploring+Scotland%27s+places&rft.atitle=Neptune%27s+Staircase&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rcahms.gov.uk%2Fhighlights-big-picture%2F2-september-2009-neptunes-staircase&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANeptune%27s+Staircase" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Lindsay_1968_146–147-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Lindsay_1968_146–147_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Lindsay_1968_146–147_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 146–147</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFShead" class="citation web cs1">Shead, Jim. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/Articles.php?wpage=13">"Staircase Locks"</a>. <i>Jim Shead's Waterways Information</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">6 May</span> 2013</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Jim+Shead%27s+Waterways+Information&rft.atitle=Staircase+Locks&rft.aulast=Shead&rft.aufirst=Jim&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jim-shead.com%2Fwaterways%2FArticles.php%3Fwpage%3D13&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANeptune%27s+Staircase" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHayward2007">Hayward 2007</a>, p. 29</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 142–145</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 148–149</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, p. 150</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, p. 156</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 159–160</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 162–163</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 164–165</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, p. 173</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFLindsay1968">Lindsay 1968</a>, pp. 175–176</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="#CITEREFHayward2007">Hayward 2007</a>, pp. 18–19</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Bibliography">Bibliography</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Neptune%27s_Staircase&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Bibliography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239549316">.mw-parser-output .refbegin{margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul{margin-left:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{margin-left:0;padding-left:3.2em;text-indent:-3.2em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul,.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents ul li{list-style:none}@media(max-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .refbegin-hanging-indents>ul>li{padding-left:1.6em;text-indent:-1.6em}}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .refbegin-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .refbegin{font-size:90%}}</style><div class="refbegin" style=""> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHayward2007" class="citation book cs1">Hayward, David (2007). <i>The Caledonian Canal</i>. British Waterways Scotland. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-9556339-2-8" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-9556339-2-8"><bdi>978-0-9556339-2-8</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Caledonian+Canal&rft.pub=British+Waterways+Scotland&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-0-9556339-2-8&rft.aulast=Hayward&rft.aufirst=David&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANeptune%27s+Staircase" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFLindsay1968" class="citation book cs1">Lindsay, Jean (1968). <i>The Canals of Scotland</i>. Newton Abbott: <a href="/wiki/David_%26_Charles" title="David & Charles">David & Charles</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7153-4240-1" title="Special:BookSources/0-7153-4240-1"><bdi>0-7153-4240-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Canals+of+Scotland&rft.place=Newton+Abbott&rft.pub=David+%26+Charles&rft.date=1968&rft.isbn=0-7153-4240-1&rft.aulast=Lindsay&rft.aufirst=Jean&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ANeptune%27s+Staircase" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> </div> <p><span class="geo-inline-hidden noexcerpt"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1156832818">.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}</style><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><a class="external text" href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Neptune%27s_Staircase&params=56.846_N_5.094_W_region:GB_type:landmark"><span class="geo-nondefault"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="latitude">56°50′46″N</span> <span class="longitude">5°05′38″W</span></span></span><span class="geo-multi-punct"> / </span><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dec" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location">56.846°N 5.094°W</span><span style="display:none"> / <span class="geo">56.846; -5.094</span></span></span></a></span></span> </p> <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw‐api‐int.codfw.main‐5f44755944‐xmvf2 Cached time: 20250302034142 Cache expiry: 2592000 Reduced expiry: false Complications: [vary‐revision‐sha1, show‐toc] CPU time usage: 0.330 seconds Real time usage: 0.453 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 1501/1000000 Post‐expand include size: 19073/2097152 bytes Template argument size: 1296/2097152 bytes Highest expansion depth: 12/100 Expensive parser function count: 5/500 Unstrip recursion depth: 1/20 Unstrip post‐expand size: 21441/5000000 bytes Lua time usage: 0.197/10.000 seconds Lua memory usage: 8661703/52428800 bytes Number of Wikibase entities loaded: 1/400 --> <!-- Transclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template) 100.00% 412.808 1 -total 29.30% 120.944 1 Template:Reflist 19.19% 79.200 1 Template:Infobox_waterlock 18.36% 75.774 1 Template:Infobox 17.83% 73.598 2 Template:Cite_web 15.52% 64.057 1 Template:Short_description 9.23% 38.083 2 Template:Pagetype 7.97% 32.905 12 Template:Harvnb 7.51% 31.007 1 Template:Fix 6.93% 28.595 10 Template:Convert --> <!-- Saved in parser cache with key enwiki:pcache:1451706:|#|:idhash:canonical and timestamp 20250302034142 and revision id 1176700097. 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