A five-figure bequest has meant one of Scotland’s top conservation experts will take on the case of a historic canal boat pulled out of the ground in Inverurie last autumn.
The town’s Garioch Heritage Centre plans to use the five-metre skeleton as the centrepiece of a new exhibition on one of the least-known periods of Aberdeenshire industrial history.
But first, it needs to solve several mysteries surrounding it.
Noone currently knows exactly how old it is, nor how it was put to use on the short-lived canal that once connected Port Elphinstone with Aberdeen Harbour.
But project lead Joan Bruce said the contribution of one man, who wishes to remain anonymous, means those answers are closer than ever.
She said: “Just before Christmas time, an individual sponsor asked to meet with me to say he’d like to discuss getting involved in the project as a legacy for his late wife.
“His engagement meant that we then had the ability to seek professional help.
“[Aberdeenshire Council regional archaeologist] Bruce Mann gave us the details for a man called Jim Mitchell, who is from the Isle of Bute and came recommended by the National Maritime Museum as one of the leading specialists in industrial heritage in the UK.”
Mrs Bruce contacted him early in the new year, and his curiosity about the small but historically significant project led him to agree to do it.
She added: “He came up on February 1, and was very enthused as he hadn’t seen another example of its type and thought it may well be the only one remaining above water – certainly in Scotland.”
On Monday morning, the boat was lifted from its current home in Inverurie and transported down to Alloa, where it will be worked on by Mr Mitchell’s associate Jason Struthers.
What was Aberdeenshire Canal?
Aberdeenshire Canal was sanctioned by an Act of Parliament in 1796, and opened nine years later.
Until its closure in 1854 – when it was superseded by the railway – boats used the waterway to travel the 18.25 miles between Port Elphinstone and Aberdeen Harbour.
The Inverurie boat’s role in the functioning of the canal is still unknown.
It has previously been described as a canal inspection craft and a barge, but conservators are currently exploring the possibility it might have been used to break the ice ahead of flyboats transporting passengers.
Whatever its purpose, it was left to rot in the ground in Kirkwood Commercial Park around 30 years ago, and remained there until last October when members of the local Garioch Rugby Club help to lift it out.
Later this year, it will become the star attraction of a new exhibition on the local industry at the Garioch Heritage Centre.
The centre, which is located in the former Inverurie locomotive works, is currently paying tribute to its home’s heritage with a temporary exhibition featuring an intricate model railway.
The family of Ian Baxter Moncur, who died last year, donated his miniature recreation of the now-defunct line between Oldmeldrum and Inverurie to the centre.
It is now forming the centrepiece of ‘On Track for Spring’, which will also involve a number of train-themed activities for younger visitors.
The exhibition, which has a small entry fee, will run until April 24. Garioch Heritage Centre is open between 10am and 4pm each day except Mondays when it is closed.