John Williamson’s Up-river Revival

on Jan 15, 2017

In 1900, the Glasgow, Rothesay, and Kyles of Bute Steamers of John Williamson provided a summer service to Campbeltown in connection with the Glasgow and Southwestern Railway Co. with their newer vessel, Strathmore, and maintained the year-round Rothesay and Kyles of Bute connection with their veteran, Benmore. The introduction of the turbine steamer, King Edward, the following year, relieved Strathmore except at the very beginning and end of the season, and allowed Williamson to develop the Rothesay trade. This article covers the development of this trade in the years leading up to the first world war. Strathmore leaving Rothesay Strathmore leaving Princes Pier Strathmore passing Scotstoun Benmore passing Scotstoun on her way down river (Robertson, Glasgow) Glasgow Herald, June 20, 1901 Strathmore passing the cruiser Cumberland at Govan Strathmore waiting for her afternoon departure...

To Dark Lochgoil

on Dec 22, 2016

The importance of the Lochgoil route to Inverary and the Highlands was recognized from the beginnings of steamboat traffic on the Clyde and the early developments will be documented in a separate article. The Lochgoil & Lochlong Steamboat Company dated from 1825. From the beginning, the company adopted a bold and attractive colour-scheme for its funnels: red with a black top surmounting alternating white-black-white bands. The Lochgoilhead mail contract provided a subsidy that ensured year-round service. The Company and its steamers had a reputation for being well run and sailed through some of the most dramatic scenery on the sea-lochs of the Clyde. After leaving Greenock, Blairmore, Cove, Ardentinny, Coulport, Portincaple, Carrick Castle (in the photograph above by Annan), Douglas Pier and Lochgoilhead were the places where calls were made, initially by ferry but later, piers...

Robert Salmon at the Broomielaw

on Oct 31, 2016

©Glasgow Museums by permission www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/riverside This magnificent painting by Robert Salmon, now in the Riverside Museum, shows the Broomielaw in 1832 with an American ship among the excursion steamboats and coastal sailing craft. A most striking feature is the funnel colourings of the steamboats. Were the funnels of some of the steamboats really striped like barber-poles? Most opinion is that this is an example of artistic license. Perhaps the stay rings of the funnels were painted in a contrasting colour to the main funnel colour. Robert Napier’s steamers had red funnels with a black top and the stay-rings painted black and from that beginning evolved the colours of Cunard and those of David MacBrayne. Other vestiges that extended into the photographic era can be found in the early colours of Keith and Campbell on the Holy Loch where the black funnels had white...

Campbeltown Steamboat Company

on Oct 16, 2016

The Campbeltown and Glasgow Steam Packet Joint Stock Coy. Ltd., had a long history, stretching back to 1826. Rather than writing a separate account, I have chosen to use the company history that was published for the centenary in 1927 and illustrate it with some of the original illustrations augmented with some photographic material of my own. The Campbeltown route by the west coast of Arran has a special place in my family’s history. My mother was brought up in Tangy, just north of Campbeltown, and later removed to High Dougarie farm on the west coast of Arran. The family travelled often on the Campbeltown steamers. The steamers were particularly handsome with their well recognized funnel-coloring: black-red-black. With black hulls and pink water-line, they presented an attractive picture, particularly the yacht like Kintyre and Kinloch. Funnel colors and houseflag The period...

Up and Down Harbour Steamers

on Jun 22, 2016

The Clyde Navigation Trust obtained powers from Parliament in the late 1870s to run steamers up and down the river in the harbour area over which they had jurisdiction. These powers added to those that allowed the Trust to provide cross-river ferries at the various points, but were not immediately translated into action. At its meeting of January 7, 1879, the subject of contracting for boats for the service was deferred for at least a year while the Trust studied the issue in some detail, examining the feasibility of the project. At the meeting of August 5, the Ferries’ Committee was urged to take action to remedy the inconvenience of the workers engaged on the many engineering projects that were taking place in the harbour at that time. At the December 2 meeting, they considered an offer from Messrs Peter Denniston & Co., to run a service between Stockwell Street and the Kelvin...

Williamson’s Glasgow, Rothesay and Kyles of Bute Steamers

on May 25, 2016

The fortunes of the Turkish Fleet owned by Captain Alexander Williamson, Snr., were affected in negative fashion when the Caledonian Steam Packet Co. entered the steamer trade in 1899 and appointed Captain Williamson’s son, Captain James Williamson, as their Marine Superintendent. For a number of years, the Turkish Fleet had run railway connections for the Glasgow & Southwestern Railway and as part of their response to the Caledonian company in 1891, the Glasgow & Southwestern Railway purchased the steamers of the Turkish Fleet to form the nucleus for their service and appointed Captain James Williamson’s brother, Captain Alexander Williamson, Jnr., as their Marine Superintendent. Benmore Glasgow Herald, December 15, 1891 With the sale of his steamers, Captain Alexander Williamson, Snr., retired from business in 1891 and later that year, a third son, Captain John Williamson,...