“Sunday-breakers”—Duncan Dewar

on Apr 20, 2020

This essay on the Sunday breakers of the mid-Victorian era is a continuation of a previous posting. The photograph by George Washington Wilson below shows the Broomielaw in the late 1870s and gives a good flavor of the steamers then on the river. In the centre of the photograph is the white-funneled, Holy Loch steamer Benmore canting with ropes stretching across the river. Further down river on the left is the two-funneled Hero, and the smaller Balmoral on the right. Directly behind Balmoral can be seen the two-funneled Sunday breaker, Dunoon Castle, bow-in to the quay in front of the Royal Route saloon steamer Iona. Astern of the Iona at the quay is the Ayr saloon steamer Bonnie Doon with the Rothesay and Kyles of Bute steamers Athole, Sultana, Viceroy, in that order progressing upstream, and finally the white funnel of the Holy Loch steamer, Vesta. Only one of the steamers, Dunoon...

“Sunday-breakers”—Rise of the Dunoon Castle

on Apr 19, 2020

This essay is a continuation of a previous series on Sunday breakers in the mid-Victorian era and it covers the introduction of the steamer Dunoon Castle to the trade in 1874. The demise of the Petrel at the end of 1873 would seem to have left the Clyde with the slow Kingstown alone sailing to Gourock on Sundays. In fact Mr. Henry Sharp had procured a new steamer was for the principal Sunday sailings in 1874. The Dunoon Castle was built as recently as 1867 for the Dunoon and Rothesay Carriers by Messrs Thomas Wingate & Co., of Whiteinch, Glasgow. Her dimensions were 192 feet in length by 18 in breadth with a depth of 7½ feet and at 170 tons gross she was slightly larger than the Petrel. When built she was distinctly old-fashioned in looks, with her funnel aft of the paddle-boxes, but had proved to be reliable. She had passed through other hands before coming to Mr Sharp, but had...

“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...

“Sunday-breakers”—Demise of the Cardiff Castle

on Apr 17, 2020

This is the first in a series of essays on the steamers that sailed on Sundays in the mid-Victorian era. Early developments on Sunday sailing were recounted in essays in 2015 featuring the Emperor and the Battle of Garelochhead and the addition of more Sunday steamers into the business. This essay takes over the story starting in 1860. The first photograph is the wonderful view of the Broomielaw in 1856 and gives a good idea of the steamers of the day. Two of the steamers featured in this article are depicted. The Petrel is the two-funneled vessel with narrow white bands in the center of the photograph and the Cardiff Castle is one of the steamers on the opposite bank, with a single black funnel and narrow white band.   The advent of Sunday sailing for pleasure on the Clyde with the Emperor in 1853 was not well received by the Established Church, and more particularly, the Free Church,...

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...

Ardentinny and Coulport

on Feb 29, 2020

The ferry across Loch Long at Ardentinny has been in existence long before steam boats gained access to the Clyde sea lochs. It formed part of an old drove road to bring cattle from the highlands to the Falkirk market. The crossing to Coulport, over to the Gareloch and thence by Glen Fruin to Balloch and the Endrick valley was a convenient track for the drovers from Lochfyneside. After the introduction of steam boats on the Clyde, the ferry also provided access for local residents and visitors who could sail from Glasgow on the steam boats bound for Lochgoilhead and Arrochar and land at the picturesque village on Loch Long. The landowner, General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart was one of the promoters of the Caledonian Railway’s Gourock Harbour and Quay Bill to provide a pier and terminus at Gourock. In his statement in April 1883 he indicated that he never could understand why there...

Messrs Hutcheson’s Chevalier

on Feb 12, 2020

The west highland services of Messrs G. & J. Burns devolved to Messrs David Hutcheson & Co., in February 1851. The primary steamboat sailing from Glasgow to Oban, Skye, Gairloch and the Outer Hebrides by the Mull of Kintyre was the Duntroon Castle, dating from 1842. The replacement for the Duntroon Castle was Chevalier, launched in March 1853, and a great improvement on the older vessel. She came from the new Clyde  or Cessnock Bank shipyard at Govan, set up by Messrs J. & G. Thomson, and was the second vessel that they had built for the west highland service of Messrs Hutcheson. “Glasgow and Highland Steamers.—There was launched on Thursday, from the building-yard of Messrs James and George Thomson, Clyde Bank, a beautiful paddle steamer, the Chevalier, the property of Messrs David Hutcheson & Co., of this city, and intended for the trade between Glasgow and the...