Gourock Railway Pier

on Jun 18, 2021

In 1865, the Caledonian Railway Company purchased the harbour and pier at Gourock. The move anticipated the changes taking place as their main rival, the Glasgow and South Western Railway company sought access to the coast at Albert Harbour in Greenock through the proposed Greenock and Ayrshire Railway, that also provided a route to Greenock from Glasgow. The Greenock Railway, taken over by the Caledonian in 1851, had long enjoyed a monopoly of access to the coast and had built up connecting services to the coast towns and resorts with the private steamboat owners. This monopoly was threatened, not only by the Glasgow and South Western Railway, but also by the North British Railway, on the cusp of the opening of the Helensburgh line providing access to the coast on the north bank of the Clyde, and the Wemyss Bay Railway, offering services provided by the Caledonian itself. The...

Firth of Clyde Steam Packet Co. Ltd.

on Jan 15, 2017

The history of the steamer Ivanhoe has featured in earlier articles, up to the point when she was laid up in 1906 by the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. Ltd. As the new century progressed, the pollution that characterized the upper Clyde began to be ameliorated and there was renewed interest in sailing from the heart of Glasgow. Shipyards on the Clyde were also experiencing full order books and sailing “doon the water” allowed the denizens of the city to see the latest developments that would make the Clyde known throughout the world. It was to accommodate this need that Captain Cameron brought out the Meg Merrilies and the Lady Rowena, and in 1911, the Ivanhoe was brought out of retirement. Ivanhoe in her 1911 color scheme The Firth of Clyde Steam Packet Co. Ltd. was registered on 16th February 1911 with a nominal capital of £6,000 and purchased, for £4,000 from the Caledonian...

Caledonian and Southwestern Advances

on Aug 28, 2016

By 1894, the resurgence of the Glasgow & Southwestern Railway connections had eclipsed the efforts of the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. at Gourock to dominate the Clyde Coast trade. A new station edifice at Princes Pier was nearing completion and the fleet of modern steamers, well designed for the routes that they supported, were quickly supplanting the steamers initially purchased from the Turkish Fleet. That year, Neptune was placed on the popular Arran by way of Rothesay service from Princes Pier, taking over the route from Buchanan’s Isle of Arran. By sailing on the outward leg through the Kyles and returning by Garroch Head, she was in direct opposition to James Williamson’s Ivanhoe. The route also provided a circular tour to Arran where passengers could return by the Glen Sannox to Ardrossan. Neptune in Rothesay Bay (McGregor, Kilmarnock) Early in the year, Captain James...

Caledonian Steam Packet Co. Ltd.

on May 7, 2016

The opening of Princes Pier in 1870 for the Greenock and Ayrshire Railway Co. had signaled a downturn on the coast traffic carried by the Caledonian Railway Co. to Greenock Central with its remote and inconvenient approach to Greenock Quay. The situation was exacerbated when the Greenock and Ayrshire was absorbed into the Glasgow and South Western Railway Co. in 1872. While most steamers called at both Greenock Piers, the bulk of the traffic used the South Western route and with fast steamers such as Messrs Williamson’s Sultana on the station, the express services could even compete on the Rothesay station with the shorter crossing from Wemyss Bay. A plan to extend the Caledonian Railway further down the coast to Gourock was floated in 1877 but the proposal was rejected after opposition from the Greenock Harbour Trust. The North British Steam Packet Co. route through Craigendoran...

Campbell and Kilmun

on Nov 29, 2015

The pier at Kilmun, the first on the Cowal peninsula, dates from 1828 when David Napier purchased land on the north shore of the Holy Loch. Napier’s vision opened up the feuing of the region and he built a number of villas along the shore. It also opened up a new route to Inveraray by way of Loch Eck and Strachur and his efforts to popularize this route will be found in other articles on this site. In Napier’s biography an advertisement of 1829 is quoted “At Kilmun there is now a substantial quay built, where passengers can land at all times. Houses to let, ground to feu,” and Napier had his steamers Kilmun and Earl Grey built to serve the needs of his feuars and the new route patrons. The boiler explosion of the Earl Grey steamer in 1835 signaled the end of David Napier’s interests in owning a steamboat fleet on the Clyde. The steamers, Kilmun, Saint Mun, Cupid, and the wreck of the...

Captain Alexander William Cameron

on Aug 8, 2015

The worsening economic climate in the early Edwardian years had its impact on the Clyde coast traffic. In 1907, the two south-bank railway companies, the Caledonian and Glasgow and South-western, entered into a pooling arrangement to rationalize some services and avoid costly duplication and in the next few years, a number of steamers were laid up and sold. Among these were the Vulcan and Viceroy of the Glasgow and Southwestern Co. and Marchioness of Bute, Ivanhoe and Madge Wildfire of the Caledonian. Madge Wildfire, surplus to requirements was purchased on 8th April 1911 by Captain A. W. Cameron, a retired ship captain residing in Dumbarton, for £3,500. A week later, he transferred ownership to The Vale of Clyde Steam Packet Co. Ltd, a private company that was registered on 13th April 1911. Captain Cameron was anxious to take advantage of the resurgence in popularity of sailings from...