The Greenock and Helensburgh Steamboat Company

on Nov 26, 2020

The Clyde in 1865 had seen the long-awaited opening of the Wemyss Bay Railway that was expected to provide a convenient terminus for sailings to Rothesay, Largs, Millport, and Arran. The Largs, Millport and Arran routes had been the province of the steamers of Captain Duncan M‘Kellar and his sons, John and Alex, sailing from Glasgow. Anticipating the competition from the Railway, their steamers had been sold; their two flyers, Jupiter and Juno, going to the Confederates to run the blockade. However, the expected strong competition from the railway owned steamers did not immediately materialize, largely through mismanagement, and there were opportunities for an enterprising steamboat owner. On the north bank of the Clyde, the railway had reached Helensburgh in 1858 and efforts had been made to improve the town’s pier. Again, the coming of the railway had resulted in a running-down of...

The Daphne Catastrophe

on May 17, 2020

One of the great tragedies on the Clyde occurred on Tuesday July 3, 1883, when the small steamer Daphne capsized during launch at the yard of Messrs Alexander Stephen & Sons, in Govan. For this article, I have transcribed the account of the tragedy from the Glasgow Herald from the following day as the most immediate response to the unexpected event and its impact on Clydeside. The first part is the editorial leader, the second the disaster as recounted by the reporters. The article finishes with some of the grim statistics and the conclusions of the subsequent inquiry into the incident. “Wednesday Morning, July 4.—The river Clyde was, yesterday was the scene of a terrible disaster, involving a lamentable loss of life. A small vessel, the Daphne, of about 500 tons, was being launched from the yard of Messrs Stephen & Sons, Govan, when, just as she entered the water, she heeled...

“Sunday-breakers”—Demise of the Petrel

on Apr 17, 2020

This is a continuation of a previous posting on the demise of the Cardiff Castle and re-introduction of the Petrel as the primary Sunday steamer on the Clyde. The steamers were under the ownership of Mr Henry Sharp, a publican from the Gallowgate and engendered much resentment from the church and local authority establishment although there was some popular support. Sabbatarian interests drove the church position but the local authorities were more concerned with the drunkenness and bad behavior that resulted from the availability of liquor on the steamers. The photograph, by George Washington Wilson shows the Broomielaw in 1868 with the Petrel at the quay astern of the Dumbarton steamer Loch Lomond and the new Marquis of Bute maneuvering for a berth. The year 1868 is the one in which the present account begins. “The Sunday steamer.—To the Editor of the Glasgow Herald.—Sir,—The Sunday...

Carrick Castle Pier

on Mar 19, 2020

The picturesque ruin of Carrick Castle at the mouth of Loch Goil has attracted visitors over the years. Hugh Macdonald in his classic book on the Clyde published in 1857, Days at the Coast, mentions the grandeur of the surroundings and the antiquity of the site. The photograph below by Annan of Glasgow comes from an edition of his book from 1868. “As the good steamer continues to churn her way, a gentler and a more interesting picture floats into our ken. On the left, we find the mountains standing apart as it were, and leaving a sort of tiny valley with a few level acres of green in its breast, and a picturesque old castle projecting into the margin of the loch. This is Carrick Castle, an ancient seat of the Dunmore family, but which, according to one tradition, was erected by the Danes, and by another, by Robert the Bruce, when he was Earl of Carrick. We suspectthe latter supposition...

Messrs Hutcheson’s Clansman of 1855

on Mar 10, 2020

The loss of the Chevalier in 1854, just over a year after her commissioning was a significant loss to the expansion plans of Messrs. David Hutcheson & Co. The company had to scramble to the charter market to supplement the service when their problems were compounded with the closure of the Crinan Canal after a lock was broken. Through the winter, the opposition steamer, Islay, carried much of the traffic. In the middle of January, 1855, however, there was some relief on the horizon. The Crinan Canal reopened and it was announced that a replacement for the Chevalier would be ready early in the summer. Glasgow Herald, February 5, 1855 The new steamer was launched on Saturday June 16, 1855 at the yard that had built the Chevalier and in March 1855, had launched the new Iona for the Clyde connection of the swift steamer route to Oban and the highlands. “Launch.—There was launched on...

Edgar Battersby’s trip to Rothesay

on Sep 25, 2019

I was recently contacted by a gentleman by the name of Rupert Battersby who has a large number of quarter-plate glass negatives taken by his great uncle, Edgar Battersby. Some of these were taken on a trip to Scotland in August 1913, and just over twenty feature views taken on the Clyde and Loch Lomond. This is an important and interesting collection and I have been given permission to reproduce the photographs of the Clyde on this site. I have to point out that these images are copyright and any further use requires permission of the owner. The Battersby family were hat manufacturers from Stockport in Lancashire. A history of the business has been documented in a book “Battersby Hats of Stockport — An Illustrated History” also by Rupert Battersby and published by Amberley in 2016. The factory in Stockport closed in 1966. Edgar Battersby was a young man on his visit to Scotland. He is...