An early photograph of a ship under construction at Govan Old Shipyard, c 1860s. Robert Napier & Sons operated the yard from 1841-50, followed by J Napier & Hoey until 1860 and then Randolph, Elder & Co, 1860-1864. Dobie, Hedderwick & McGraw (which became Dobie & Co) succeeded Napier and remained there until the firm went into liquidation in 1884.
Workers had to clamber up the wooden ramps that can be seen next to the ship’s hull, to get to their workplaces on the vessel. Several primitive cranes are distributed across the site, the nearest being just in front of the longest gangplank in the centre of the image, and these were used to hoist materials.
The buildings in the background to the left of the picture, on the north side of the Clyde, are those on Woodlands Hill. The towers of Trinity College and Park Church are prominent.
Reference: T-CN 19/003/046
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries Information and Learning
Keywords:
cranes, Dobie & Co, Dobie, Hedderwick & McGraw, Govan Old Shipyard, J Napier & Hoey, Randolph, Elder & Co, Robert Napier & Sons, shipbuilders, ships, shipyards, stocks
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