Coals to Cowal

on Feb 1, 2024

One of my favourite old postcard views shows the Royal Marine Hotel in Hunter’s Quay. The Hotel was built in 1890 to the design of the Glasgow Architect, Thomas Lennox Watson, and replaced an earlier hotel that was destroyed by fire. It received its “Royal” designation because it was the home of the Royal Clyde Yacht Club for many years. The photograph from which the postcard was printed was taken by Messrs Poulton in the 1890s. Their negative stock was purchased by Messrs Ritchie of Edinburgh and released as postcards as part of their “Reliable Series.” Poulton collotype of the above view Of particular interest are the two old steam lighters, Effort and Advance, on the beach. Both are of the old style and steered by tiller, rather than having a wheel. The Effort looks the simpler and older of the two. Indeed, she was launched by Messrs William Swan & Son at Kelvindock on the Forth...

Hunter’s Quay

on Sep 8, 2018

When a Greenock merchant, James Hunter, acquired the Hafton estate from its original Campbell owners in 1816 he extended the existing Hafton House and began to develop feuing in the area. One of the early arrivals was James Ewing, then Lord Provost of Glasgow, who built the Castle House in Dunoon 1822. It was such gentlemen and their families that attracted the early steamboat traffic to the area. As in other coastal communities, feuing was encouraged by the provision of a pier and James Hunter provided one of the first on the Cowal shore in 1828. Hunter’s Quay was a stone built quay with a wooden extension where the steamboats could dock. Isle of Bute approaching Hunter’s Quay in 1841 The building of villas along the south shore of the Holy Loch and the Cowal shore of the Firth followed quickly afterwards. The location of the pier at Hunter’s Quay was protected from the worst of...

Yachts

on Aug 24, 2017

The early days of organized yachting on the Clyde date to the formation of the Northern Yacht Club at Rothesay in 1824. Almost immediately, the club hosted an annual regatta, initially alternating between Belfast Lough and the Clyde. The club gained a Royal Charter in 1830, becoming the Royal Northern Yacht Club. A glance at the Glasgow and sporting newspapers in late summer in the 1830s and 1840s reveals the intense interest in the “Clyde Regatta” and the yacht races. In the 1838 regatta held at Gourock at the end of July in the 25 tonner class Matthew Perston’s Wave, built by Robert Steele at Greenock in 1834, found success over James Smith’s Amethyst and James Macnair’s revolutionary Cyclops that was iron hulled to water line and built in 1836. Robert Kerr’s Falcon was fourth while Andrew Wauchope’s Nancy did not finish. Smaller yachts in the 10 tonner class featured a contest...

Marchioness of Lorne 1935

on Apr 20, 2016

As a replacement for the Marchioness of Breadalbane in 1935, the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. went to Fairfields for a smaller version of the paddlers Caledonia and Mercury built the previous year. She was well photographed by the Messrs Adamson and Robertson during her trials when sporting the Fairfield flag. Marchioness of Lorne on trials (Adamson) Marchioness of Lorne on trials (Robertson) Marchioness of Lorne was designed for the Holy Loch ferry route where the ability to maneuver at the many piers is more important than speed. The new steamer was capable of just 12 knots in service, requiring some adjustments to the time table. Despite some misgivings, the improved accommodation, meant that the new steamer became a strong favourite with the Holy Loch regulars Marchioness of Lorne (Feilden) Marchioness of Lorne in 1936 Marchioness of Lorne’s summer schedule was demanding,...