A new exhibition is bringing Maryhill’s canal heritage to life, exploring more than two centuries of history along the Forth & Clyde Canal.
Every Picture Tells a Story is now open at Maryhill Burgh Halls and examines the canal’s past, present and future as it passes through the Glasgow area.
The exhibition is a collaboration between Maryhill Burgh Halls and Scottish Canals and traces the waterway from its construction in the late 18th century through to modern engineering and regeneration projects.
At the heart of the exhibition is The Canal Locks Maryhill (1879), a painting by Linlithgow-born artist Andrew Maclaren Law.
The artwork shows the lockkeeper’s cottage, a boatman at work and canal traffic passing through Lock 22 near the Kelvin Aqueduct.
The painting disappeared from the historical record for 138 years before resurfacing at auction and being returned to Maryhill.
The exhibition also looks at the engineering behind the Maryhill Locks and Kelvin Aqueduct, as well as the industries that developed alongside the canal.
It then moves into the present day, exploring how technology is being used to shape the canal’s future.
One example is the Glasgow Smart Canal, which uses weather forecasting and automated controls to manage water levels and support regeneration across north Glasgow.
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Aurora Segnan, heritage coordinator at Maryhill Burgh Halls, said: "We're proud custodians of this painting for the people of Maryhill, and on its own, it's a fantastic piece.
"But the moment we started looking closely, it became something bigger: a painting that vanished from the record for 138 years before turning up at auction, and, with good timing, a chance to dig into the history of The Whitehouse and its surroundings.
"Our own volunteers put in a huge amount of work researching and writing alongside us.
"This is exactly the kind of story we want to keep telling, using our local heritage to bring people together and build something new for Maryhill's future."
Richard Millar, chief operating officer at Scottish Canals, said: "Maryhill has been at the centre of canal engineering for more than two centuries.
"The Maryhill Locks and Kelvin Aqueduct were exceptional feats of eighteenth-century engineering and remain vital parts of the canal network today.
"This exhibition allows us to celebrate that history while explaining why we continue to invest in the canal and how it is being adapted to support modern needs, including climate resilience, economic regeneration, ecology and active travel."
Every Picture Tells a Story runs at Maryhill Burgh Halls from August 13 to October 11.
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