Victorian Valve Houses Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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These are 2 of 5 valve houses (and a ventillation shaft) built as part of the Glasgow Corporation Water Works system. They were listed following the thematic review of the Loch Katrine water supply system in 2008 and are a marvel of Victorian engineering!
You do not need to enter the walled area to find the cache, but the gates are open if you want a look around!
The conduit of the water system is predominantly subterranean, but the valleys of Duchray, Endrick and Blane, which were too deep and broad for the use of normal aqueduct bridges, necessitated the use of syphon pipes to carry the water across them. The valve house is the point at which the water enters the syphon pipes and the engineering of the subterranean structure of the valve houses is of at least equal importance to their external appearance. The pipes themselves also represent a considerable technical achievement, using newly-developed vertical casting technologies.
The scheme represents the golden age of municipal activity in Scotland and not only provided Glasgow with fresh drinking water, thereby paving the way for a significant increase in hygiene and living standards, but also a source of hydraulic power that was indispensable to the growth of Glasgow's industry as a cheap and clean means of lifting and moving heavy plant in docks, shipyards and warehouses. The civic pride in this achievement is visible in every structure connected with the scheme, from the neatly-detailed gates and railings along its route, to the massive masonry structures and iron troughs that carry the conduit and, in most cases, have withstood without failure or noticeable deterioration the daily pressure of many millions of gallons of water for well over 100 years.
Congratulations to Jokeroo for First to Find!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pbzzhavpngvba cbyr.
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