Port Glasgow - River Clyde Early Photographs

[New Zealander]

Is there anyone who may be able to tell me, please where I can locate early photographs of the River Clyde .. 1880 or before?  Perhaps of the shipbuilding industry, something that can be used in our family history document.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Alex G

[M.R. Dien]

Are you looking for images of Port Glasgow  or of Glasgow ports ?
(different Counties)

Port Glasgow ...  www.portglasgow4u.co.uk

Glasgow  www.mitchelllibrary.org

[MonicaL]

Glasgow is lucky to have much of its history in photographs  Apart from the links M.R.Dien has kindly posted, have a look at the photo links here www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,510660.0.html - see Images and Photograph Archives and Collections.

From that list, I picked up from the Annan Collection, its special collection on the River Clyde (5 pages of photos although not too many before 1880 from this collection):

www.annanphotographs.co.uk/glasgowriverclyde.html

Monica

[yokerbrian]

See also this link from the Port Glasgow (Inverclyde Council) Library service

http://www.flickr.com/photos/port_glasgow_library

[New Zealander]

Yokerbrian, Monica and M R Dien

Much appreciated for your interest and websites. 

Looking for and researching the company R G Sommerville & Co and their company The Caledonian Sawmill.  The Sommerville family lived at Aldergrove near Port Glasgow and owned the ship Aldergrove that brought my grandparents to New Zealand on it's maiden voyage in 1875.  They also owned the Caledonian Sawmill in addition to four other ships.  Believed they were in the business of supplying timber to the ship building industry.

Once again many thanks.

Alex G

[carolmcg]

RG Sommerville had 6 ships in 1876.
One of which was an old wooden paddle steamer "Asia"  which formerly belonged to the Cunard company.
She was later converted to a sailing ship.


ALDERGROVE 1875 Robert Duncan & Co.Greenock & Port Glasgow
sailing ship ‘Aldergrove’ for John Robb & Co,
Greenock to charter to P Henderson & Co - details.
Greenock Advertiser 30.03.1875

The family was connected through marriage to the Birkmyre family and involved with the Newlanark Mills in 1881 but by this time the company was referred to as Somerville & Company of Port Glasgow.

Just some details I had to hand – I own one of the sites noted to above 

[Skoosh]

You can still see the stakes driven into the bed of the Clyde at Port Glasgow which were used to anchor cargoes of timber in the river apparently. You'd have thought the stuff would have been stored dry? Any thoughts.

Skoosh.

[carolmcg]

http://www.portglasgow4u.co.uk/Towns_History/Timber_Trade.html

[Skoosh]

Thanks for that Carol, interesting stuff. I think the bit about Robert Bruce being born at Cardross is mistaken, he died at Cardross and was born at Turnberry?

Skoosh.