Brodick Pier

on Feb 2, 2026

The village of Brodick owes its origins to Brodick bay, a natural harbour sheltered from the prevailing winds, and the presence of the castle that dates to ancient times. In the 15th century, the castle was granted to the James, the first Lord Hamilton, and his son was created the first Earl of Arran. The family title was raised to a Dukedom early in the 17th century but the male line of direct succession died out in 1651, and the title passed to the Duchess Anne. Although the castle changed hands on many occasions in that turbulent period, it was after the Cromwellian occupation in the 17th century that Duchess Anne Hamilton married William Douglas who assumed the dukedom, taking the name of Hamilton. The Castle remained in poor condition, used mainly as a hunting resort, until the 10th Duke, Alexander, added a modern wing in 1844 as a residence for his son William, who a year earlier...

Excursions from Ayr

on Aug 14, 2021

In the summer of 1906, a well-to-do family took a house in Ayr, the town of “honest men and bonnie lasses”. There was at least one of the family with an interest in photography and this article highlights the results of the various activities and excursions undertaken that were contained in an old photograph album. None of the photographs is captioned and so what follows is a best attempt to describe the routes and the scenes. Many of the excursions were by sea, in the Ayr excursion steamer, Juno, built in 1898 by Messrs John Brown & Co., at Clydebank. The “big, beamy, beautiful Juno” was larger and more heavily built than most of the contemporary Clyde railway steamers and was ideal for excursions from the lower Firth. While few of the photographs show steamships, they do provide an interesting perspective of the scenes viewed from on board. Consequently, photographs from the...

Glen Sannox of 1925

on Sep 16, 2017

The Rock magazine of March 1925 records: “The name of an old and popular Clyde steamer has been revived in the Glen Sannox, which was launched on 24th February. The new ship which was built for the London, Midland & Scottish Railway Company, for their Clyde services, is 250 feet long by 30 feet broad by 10 feet 6 inches to the main deck, and she will be fitted with three Parsons’ independent steam turbines, each driving a separate shaft with one propeller, capable of developing a speed of about 20¾ knots. The Glen Sannox is, in many respects, similar to the Duchess of Argyll, which has proved such a successful unit of the L.M.S. fleet, and which many people maintain is the most graceful craft on the Clyde. At the request of the owners, there was no formal ceremony at the launch, but as the vessel left the ways she was gracefully named by Miss Rosamund Denny, the youthful daughter...

Aerial Views of the Clyde

on Mar 4, 2017

Photographs of the Clyde Harbours and Resorts taken from the air and made into postcards have always been popular. They are an easy way of showing where you stay whether all-year-round, or on holiday. The earliest photographs of the Clyde that were released commercially appear to have been the work of an Edinburgh Company in the years shortly after the First World War, around 1920 or 1921. They are generally marked Aerial Photos Ltd., Edinburgh. They include a good selection of the Cowal Coast, including Dunoon, Rothesay and surrounding areas in Bute, and coastal towns in the Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. The photographs are oblique, taken at an angle, rather than the vertical stereo-pairs associated with mapping of later years. Quite a few show some of the steamers of the day. It is not clear what aircraft were used to obtain these photographs. Hunter’s Quay and the...

Marchioness of Graham

on Jul 4, 2016

The Marchioness of Graham was launched on March 6, 1936 from the Govan yard of the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd. She was 220 ft long and 30 ft in the beam with a draught of 10 ft and her two screws were driven by four steam turbines. She was designed for the Arran route from Ardrossan where the turbine predecessor, Atalanta, that she replaced, had a long career. She was indeed similar to Atalanta with a single tall funnel and had significant deck space that would allow her to carry motor vehicles. Marchioness of Graham on trials with Fairfield flag on the main mast (Salmon) Marchioness of Graham on trials (Robertson) Marchioness of Graham on trials (Adamson) This is a photographic salute to the Marchioness of Graham. Her history was largely uneventful and was mainly of the Arran service though she was also popular on excursions. Marchioness of Graham in the Kyles of...

Early Arran Steamers

on Dec 30, 2015

It was in 1834 that the Castle Company introduced a service from the Ayrshire coast to the Island of Arran. The veteran Inverary Castle sailed to Brodick from Troon where she connected with the horse-drawn railway from Kilmarnock. Ardrossan was included as a call in 1834 and the following year, Ardrossan was the Ayrshire terminus with a connecting coach from Kilmarnock. Although the Inverary Castle was described as extensively improved in both speed and comfort, she had been advertised for sale in the Spring, and was disposed of the following year when M‘Kellar’s Hero appeared on the route. The hull of the Hero was built by William Denny in Dumbarton in 1832 and her machinery was produced by Robert Napier. Duncan M‘Kellar added a larger and more successful vessel, the Victor, in 1836 so that Hero was available for the Arran service. Plan of the Glasgow, Paisley, Ardrossan and Ayr...