Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the

Inverclyde Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the hi ...

council area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recent census in 2011 states that the population has declined to 15,414. It is located immediately to the east of Greenock and was previously a burgh in the county of Renfrewshire. Originally a fishing hamlet named Newark, Port Glasgow came about as a result of large ships being unable to navigate the shallow and meandering River Clyde to the centre of the city of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. As a result, it was formed as a remote port for Glasgow in 1668, and became known as 'New Port Glasgow', which was shortened to 'Port Glasgow' in 1775. Port Glasgow was home to dry docks and shipbuilding beginning in 1780. The town grew from the central area of the present town and thus many of the town's historic buildings and people are found here. Port Glasgow expanded up the steep hills inland to open fields where areas such as Park Farm, Boglestone, Slaemuir and Devol were founded. This area has subsequently become known as upper Port Glasgow and most of the town's population occupies these areas.

History

Origins

The origins of Port Glasgow go back to the construction by Sir George Maxwell between 1450 and 1477 of the "New Werke of Finlastoun", which became Newark Castle. At a good anchorage near the castle, a small fishing hamlet known as Newark formed, like other scattered hamlets along the shores of the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

. After 1589 the village of Greenock formed just under to the west of Newark, and gradually became a market town with growing fishing and sea trade, although it had only a jetty in the bay to unload ships. Since seagoing ships could not go further up the Clyde due to sandbanks, the

merchants such as the Tobacco Lords wanted harbour access, but got into arguments with Greenock over harbour dues and warehouses. They put a bid in for the Easter Greenock estate for a harbour, but were outbid and the lands became the Barony of Cartsburn. They then negotiated with Sir Patrick Maxwell of Newark Estate, and in 1668 he agreed to lease the City of Glasgow of land to the west of the castle, for payment of 1,300

merks The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly o ...

and an annual feu duty of four merks. Construction of piers and

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island, Antarctica * Breakwater Islands, Nunavut, Canada * Br ...

s enclosing the

harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

began promptly, and Newport Glasgow was constituted as a free port. Trade prospered quickly, and by 1710 Newport Glasgow had the principal Clyde

custom house A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

, initially in Customhouse Lane, then after 1754 in a new building constructed on the west quay of the harbour. Through that century the town became known simply as Port Glasgow. Ships, mostly owned by Glasgow merchants, imported tobacco, sugar, rum, cotton and mahogany from the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

, as well as timber, iron and hemp from the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

. These goods were then taken by road to Glasgow, as was market garden produce from farms around Port Glasgow. A change began in 1773 when the

Lang Dyke Lang may refer to: *Lang (surname), a surname of independent Germanic or Chinese origin Places * Lang Island (Antarctica), East Antarctica * Lang Nunatak, Antarctica * Lang Sound, Antarctica * Lang Park, a stadium in Brisbane, Australia * La ...

was constructed to deepen the upper river, and ships increasingly went upriver straight to Glasgow. In 1830, the custom house collected £243,349 3s 1d in revenue, but after that income from the port declined, while by then Greenock had its own custom house. In the 1690s, the grid-iron street layout, which still forms much of the town centre today, was laid out.

Shipbuilding

In 1780, Thomas McGill set up one of the first shipyards in the area, located near Newark castle. By the 19th century, Port Glasgow had become a centre of shipbuilding. The

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ...

was built in the town in 1812 and was the first commercial

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizatio ...

vessel in Europe. A replica of the Comet was built in 1962 to mark the 150th anniversary. It, and a plaque commemorating the actual site of construction, were situated in Port Glasgow town centre in 1973. PS Comet replica

The Town Buildings were completed in 1815 and Port Glasgow became a parliamentary burgh in 1832, but around this time, the River Clyde up to Glasgow was deepened and new road and rail links meant that the town was no longer needed much as a port. The

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...

industry then took over as the main source of employment and prosperity. Port Glasgow has been responsible for about a quarter of the total tonnage of ships launched on the Clyde, and also dealt in scrapping old ships, most notably the French liner ''L'atlantique'', the burnt out wreck of which was broken up in the yard of Smith & Houston. However, as with most of Inverclyde's industry, the shipbuilding industry has all but gone and only Ferguson Marine, which was nationalised in 2019, remains in the town today.

Regeneration

The former Gourock Ropeworks building, built as a sugar refinery in 1866, was redeveloped as luxury flats in 2006, and a retail park has been laid out adjacent to the town centre. Ferguson Shipyard - geograph.org.uk - 307737.jpg, Ferguson's shipyard gate, before demolition in 2015/16 Ferguson's shipyard - geograph.org.uk - 1166906.jpg, Ferguson's shipyard gatehouse before demolition in 2016 The Glen Yard - geograph.org.uk - 1608628.jpg, Scott Lithgow's Glen Yard in 1986 (site is now a retail park)

Transport

The town is served by Port Glasgow railway station (main station) in the town centre and Woodhall railway station in the east end of the town. Both stations are on the electrified Inverclyde Line, which has frequent services to the termini at Glasgow Central, Gourock and Wemyss Bay. From 1869 to 1959, the town was also served by rail at Port Glasgow Upper railway station on the

Greenock and Ayrshire Railway The Greenock and Ayrshire Railway ran from Greenock, Scotland to Bridge of Weir, connecting there to the Glasgow and South Western Railway and making a through connection between Glasgow and Greenock. It closed progressively between 1959 and ...

. The town is connected to nearby

by the A8 dual carriageway and the M8 motorway. Glasgow Airport located 21 km (13 mi) to the east is the closest airport to Port Glasgow. Port Glasgow station - geograph.org.uk - 1057325.jpg, Main entrance to Port Glasgow railway station Port Glasgow railway station - geograph.org.uk - 1218521.jpg, Port Glasgow railway station Woodhall(2).jpg, Woodhall railway station A8 at Kelburn - geograph.org.uk - 841079.jpg, The A8 dual carriageway runs on land reclaimed from the Clyde in the east end of Port Glasgow The A8 in Port Glasgow - geograph.org.uk - 1166784.jpg, The A8 dual carriageway runs through former shipyard land in the west end of Port Glasgow. A8 Port Glasgow - geograph.org.uk - 1163857.jpg, The A8 at Port Glasgow, with the snow-covered Argyll hills beyond

Visitor attractions

Newark Castle

Newark Castle stands very close to the shore of the Clyde, and dates to around 1484. It was home to the Maxwell Family until 1694. By 1800, the castle was surrounded by shipyards, but today only Ferguson's shipyard remains, standing immediately to the west of the castle. A park and waterfront walkway have been constructed to the east, on the site of Lamont's shipyard and Smith & Houston's shipbreaking yard. The castle is now a visitor attraction maintained on behalf of the nation by Historic Scotland.

Parklea

About upstream from the castle and its surrounding park, several acres of the Clyde foreshore at Parklea are owned by the National Trust for Scotland. For many years, the land has been leased to the local council as playing fields. When the NTS acquired the land, it was regarded as protecting the foreshore from the widespread acquisition by shipyards. However, this did not prevent the construction of extensive timber ponds along this stretch of the river. Parklea Farm - geograph.org.uk - 842052.jpg, Parklea Farm Parklea playing fields - geograph.org.uk - 842115.jpg, Parklea Playing Fields Timber ponds and Dumbarton Rock - geograph.org.uk - 842235.jpg, Timber Ponds at Parklea Timber ponds at Parklea - geograph.org.uk - 842129.jpg, Timber Ponds at Parklea

Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow sculpture

A new sculpture by John McKenna was installed in Coronation Park in March 2022. The 10m high stainless steel structure depicts two larger than life shipyard workers wielding sledgehammers to bend steel plates into shape to form the hull of a ship, part of which is also depicted. Shipbuilders_of_Port_Glasgow_sculpture_(2).jpg, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow Shipbuilders_of_Port_Glasgow_sculpture_detail_(1).jpg, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow detail Shipbuilders_of_Port_Glasgow_sculpture_detail_(2).jpg, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow detail Shipbuilders_of_Port_Glasgow_sculpture_and_Port_Glasgow_Town_Building.jpg, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow and the Town Buildings Shipbuilders_of_Port_Glasgow_sculpture.jpg, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow and the Port Glasgow tower blocks Ferguson_Marine_shipyard_and_Shipbuilders_of_Port_Glasgow_sculpture.jpg, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow and Ferguson marine shipyard

Coronation Park

Coronation Park was opened on the site of the West Harbour in 1937 to celebrate the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

of King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

. It contains a memorial to the Clyde boating tragedy when 20 people died when a please cruiser capsized in bad weather on 14 September 1947. Coronation Park - geograph.org.uk - 940440.jpg, The main pedestrian entrance to the park File:200127 Ferguson Marine, MV Glen Sannox, Coronation Park slipway.jpg, Slipway in use, MV ''Glen Sannox'' at Ferguson Marine shipyard Coronation park, Port Glasgow - geograph.org.uk - 337749.jpg, The boat slip at the park Thamesteel I passing Perch Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 843662.jpg, Ships pass very close to the park Steam hammer - geograph.org.uk - 337648.jpg, The steam hammer in Coronation Park

Football

Port Glasgow has played host to several successful football clubs, including Port Glasgow Athletic F.C. and their sister side Port Glasgow Athletic Juniors F.C., which are both now defunct. Port Glasgow F.C., formed in 1948, returned "home" to a new stadium at Parklea, Port Glasgow in 2012, following a spell playing their home games in nearby Greenock.

Parliamentary representation

Port Glasgow was a parliamentary burgh as part of the Kilmarnock Burghs constituency from 1832 to 1918, when it was merged into the West Renfrewshire constituency. From 1974 to 1997, it was part of the Greenock and Port Glasgow constituency. It returned to the West Renfrewshire constituency in 1997, before becoming part of the present

constituency in 2005. In the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...

, Port Glasgow has been part of the West Renfrewshire Holyrood constituency since 1999.

Areas of Port Glasgow

Areas of Port Glasgow include: * Bardrainney * Boglestone * Bouverie *Broadfield *Chapelton *Clune Park *Devol *Highholm *Kelburn *Kingston Dock *Lilybank *

Mid Auchinleck Mid Auchinleck is an area in the town of Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland. Mid Auchinleck was the name of a now disappeared farm located on this site. Mid Auchinleck farm was one of a number of farms (Nether Auchinleck, Laigh Auchinleck, Mid A ...

* Park Farm *Parkhill *Slaemuir *Springhill * Town Centre * Woodhall

References

Bibliography

External links

Inverclyde Waterfront (Port Glasgow)
{{authority control Towns in Inverclyde Ports and harbours of Scotland Large burghs