[BITList] Old photos of Ports

[HUGH]

John,

Some pretty solid history, with many excellent photos.  I see the BI vessel Colaba pictured under Glasgow (the shipbuilding section).  One small comment only - Port Glasgow's place in the Glasgow history did not start as stated in the text :

"In 1770, civil engineer John Golborne devised a way to flush the silt layers from the shallow Clyde riverbed by erecting a series of jetties along the banks, so that by 1772 large vessels were able to sail right up the river into the city for the first time, allowing for even greater industrial expansion. James Watt, one of the pioneers of the steam engine, helped supervise this operation encompassing 19 miles of the Clyde. This radical transformation of the river, assisted by the establishment of Port Glasgow near Greenock, was the catalyst for Glasgow's "golden age" of shipbuilding and heavy industry ...."

The impetus for a major deepening of the upper Clyde followed an increase in the draught of trading vessels beyond what the existing river would allow.  Until then it had been a case of ad hoc projects to let what could come up river come up.  The dredged channel of the river from then on followed increases in ship draught until rock sills were found near Renfrew.  These were blasted away and the process continued as and when necessary.  In about 1667 Port Glasgow was created as an offloading port for Glasgow when an area was feued from Sir Patrick Maxwell.  The facilities for unloading and forward transport had probably existed for centuries and, until the father of Sir Patrick reneged on the agreement and terminated the lease, Glasgow's trade in that direction had gone through Newark, the hamlet that preceded Port Glasgow, by road via indifferent roads, or by shallow draught lighters.  This set Glasgow on a search for an alternative port - Irvine, Dumbarton and Greenock all declined.  The death of the elder Maxwell gave a chance for a renewal of the previous arrangement, and (no doubt by the application of incentives) the son agreed.

One point of interest.  The photo of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery shows the back of the building, a fact that surprises many.  It was one of a group of buildings erected for a major exhibition at the start of the 1900s - the rest were demolished afterwards. Clearly money came easy in those days.

Hugh.
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