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Rosebank Distillery	April 2005

A standing building survey and excavation were carried out at Rosebank Distillery, Falkirk in April 2005, prior to development. The upstanding walls were the most visible element of the former Tophill Boatyard, which was situated alongside Lock 10 on the south-east side of the Forth & Clyde Canal.



The development of Tophill as a Boatyard appears to have started in 1794, four years after the opening of the Forth and Clyde Canal. A temporary dry dock was constructed and seems to have developed into a more permanent structure during the next two decades. Several boats were built, modified or repaired during this period. Further development occurred during the early 19th century. Documentary sources show that a shed and a sawpit for carpenters were added. A blacksmith’s shop was also erected around 1824. A ‘Storehouse and Furnace Shed’ are mentioned in the minutes of The Forth and Clyde Canal Company of 1828. A retaining wall was built in 1829, the same year in which the dock was recommended to be filled in. A large storage shed and a boatshed were constructed on the site during 1831.



Tophill went into decline as a dock during the 1830s, being used less for building and repairing boats. It reverted to use as a wharf, with storage and workshops for building and repairing lock gates and other items for the canal, rather than vessels. By 1855 the graving dock was considered to be in poor condition and required constant emptying by pumping water out. The buildings were demolished and the dock filled in sometime during the late 19th century.