DECEMBER 2004

SHIP VOLUNTEERING P R O J E C T S

A major init iative for your committee over the next year lis to recruit volunteers to help

with the ongoing work at the Ship.

There are two particular areas of work where the Friends can be of great assistance in supporting the staff and crew at the Ship. The first is to be trained as a guide for groups visiting the Ship. Much of this type of work can be planned in advance, so that once trained you would be contacted and arrangements made to meet a party to guide them around the Ship. Training, and a brief would be given to you beforehand by the Museum Officer, Jenny Mercer. Where we can

recruit volunteers for this core service it will re lease the crew and other vo lun teers who are work ing on maintenance and renovation work to devote more time to their activities.

The second area is in outreach work, where volunteers can be of great service in promoting the story of the Ship, and the work at T h e Tall Ship at Glasgow Harbour'. Again training would be offered in assisting you to undertake talks in the local community,using a slide projector presentat ion. By using volunteers this would free up Centre staff to undertake many of the other

activities as part of their heavy work commitment at the Ship.

The outreach work will be located around Glasgow, and travel expenses to and from the outreach location would be made available. If you are interested in either of these initiatives please contact J e n n y Mercer at the Ship on telephone 0141 222 2513. We will be holding a training session in January 2005, so p lease contact Jenny to register your interest.

David Paterson Chair ofttie Friends

THE TALL SHIP

The White Cart water, flowing as it does through the centre of Paisley, is a main tributary

of the Clyde which it enters at Renfrew, and consequent ly has always had shipping connections with the Clyde and its commerce. Not only were there shipyards on the Car t but s e v e r a l commerc ia l harbours a lso , trading in sand , timber etc.

The Hammils falls at Paisley Abbey prevented any commerce further up river, but at Sneddon Quay in the town cent re , ( recent ly

Maid ofArgyii (1953) at Paisley 1966

refurbished as a riverside walkway) puffers used to come up at high tide. Carlile Quay also , a mile down river, wag very busy and larger with two fixed hand c ranes , the pintles of which are still there. Further down river still is the "New Harbour", a very large undertaking by the Council of the day with cargo sheds, mobile c ranes and a rail connect ion to Abercorn station. Up until around the time of local government reorganisation in 1971 the White Cart was kept navigable with fixed lights etc., but fell into disuse thereafter.

P a i s l e y had s e v e r a l shipbuilding yards, one of which was above the Hammils falls and was still functioning in the sixties, but they built only vesse ls which could be

dismantled and moved by road. The next down river yard and furthest from the Clyde was Abercorn, run for a time by Hanna, Donaldson and Wilson who built small destroyers etc. around the end of the nineteenth century. Moving down river, northwards, there were then the Cartvale, Phoenix, Merksworth and finally Thistle yards. The Phoenix yard was to become Fleming and Ferguson Ltd., famous for dredgers and other spec ia l i sed craft still functioning up till 1964 when it was taken over by the American Marine

and Machinery C o . Inc. , finally closing in 1969. (The huge high M8 viaduct over the river at the airport was necess i ta ted by the existence of this yard and is now only an expensive white elephant.) The remains of F leming & F e r g u s o n s slipways can still be seen and are used for smal l boats, although the whole yard area is now industrial units. During

the 1939-45 war, landing craft and other items were assembled at the site of the Thistle yard further down river.

Referring back to the New Harbour, there were many steamer excurs ions from there and from Carlile Quay from around 1890 to all the favourite piers on the Clyde Coast but tides had to be carefully calculated, somet imes returning

steamers could get no further up than Renfrew, necessitating a train connection using the line which used to run from Paisley to Renfrew as recent ly a s 1960. T h e much

'Tom Moore' at Paisley 1902 I

lamented " C o u n t e s s of Breadalbane" did a trip to Paisley in 1959 and as late as 1966 the Clyde River Steamer Club chartered the 'Maid of Argyll' for a trip to Paisley, berthing at the new harbour.

I am also informed that when the American G. l .s arrived in this country to assist in the war effort , some of them left the troopships at the tail of the bank and sailed to Paisley, stepping on Scottish soil at the new harbour for rail journeys to wherever. At Renfrew, Babcock & Wilcox Ltd., still keep a quay available for large shipments, and of course the lifting bascule bridge there on the AS still has to be raised for this, and at time of writing is undergoing further refurbishment. lain Morrison

T H E T A L L S H I P D A Y T R I P S he ship volunteers have very been busy this year on var ious projects including restoring the windlass and the Kelvinhaugh Ferry. However, they have managed to take time out for some sightseeing. A trip to the

Museum of Flight at Eas t Fortune in June was a great success . Everyone enjoyed seeing the Concorde Alpha Alpha, which is now undergoing extensive restoration after being partially dismantled for its epic journey to the Museum of Flight. The work is being carried out by Air Sa lvage International (AS I ) , the company that dismantled the aircraft before its journey to the Museum, together with the conservation team at the National Museums of Scotland. On 3"^ Novemberthe volunteers went to the Scottish Fisheries Museum atAnstruther and enjoyed a guided tour and seeing their unique collection of Kelvin Engines.

In the future, we would like to offer the Friends of the Glenlee the opportunity to come on our day trips and welcome suggestions for possible destinations.* Look out for more information in the next newsletter. * There would be a small charge for bus hire and entry to attraction

THE TALL SHIP ATTRACTING AWARDSl

NEW WEBSITE

Our newly updated website has been ' l i ve ' now for about a month. It has many new features

and a visit to it is highly recommended. Not only does it prov ide a comprehensive history of the Glenlee for any v is i tors , there is a lso a picture gallery from which you can download images . It has a spec i a l page with children's activities, including a pirate game and pirate crafts, a s well as a list of all of our events until the end of the year, if you have been thinking of having a function on board, there is information about the types of function we can cater for, and different menu options. For a n y o n e contempla t ing becoming a vo lunteer , there is a page g iv ing informat ion on what d i f ferent volunteering opportunities are available and comments from existing volunteers. Finally, there is also a forum for you to post your comments about The Tall Ship a s well a s the opportunity to d iscuss things like shipbuilding on the Clyde and tall ships with other interested people online. Happy viewing!

A t the recent Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions conference, The Tall Ship won

two awards. Not only did we win best leaflet for a medium sized attraction, but we also won best leaflet overall, beating the winners for the small category, Achiltibuie Hydroponicum, and also Glasgow Science Centre, who were winners of the large category/as if that was not enough, we were also runners up In the category of best website. Two lovely framed certificates are now proudly on show in our reception area and can be seen next time you visit.

http/ /www.theta l lship.com

V y

T H E G L A S G O W P A I S L E Y AND A R D R O S S A N C A N A L

T he idea which was that of Hugh 12th E a r l of Eg l in ton , Lord Montgomer ie & K i lw inn ing ,

Baron Ardrossan, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Ayr, (to give him his full S u n d a y n a m e ) , w a s to deve lop Ardrossan and build a 33 mile canal to G l a s g o w , cutt ing the corner and eliminating the expensive land cartage of the then current route from that city to the open sea . In addition to Ardrossan being seen as a base from which troops could be sen t to quel l s u c h inconveniences as Irish rebellions and French invasions, it could also handle export manufactures and imports such a s grain. T h e cana l could carry the internal produce of the E a r l ' s and others landholdings coa l , i ronstone and limestone (an important product wh ich w h e n burned by the aforementioned coal, produced lime for building mortar and as a fertiliser, which gave a fourfold Increase in crop yield.)

Ini t ia l ly S a l t c o a t s w a s considered as the sea terminus, being probably better sheltered from wind and tide and easier for shipping but having the disadvantage of not being on the E a r l ' s land, so A r d r o s s a n , a w k w a r d e v e n now for powered vesse l s and more so in the days of sai l , it became. After much debate and indec is ion a s to the possib i l i ty of dredging the Clyde, Thomas Telford w a s appointed engineer to the canal and work started in Glasgow in 1807 and by 1810 it had reached Johnstone. E m b a n k m e n t s , cut t ings and e v e n tunnels kept the whole reach on the level through the fairly flat lands south of G l a s g o w , p a s s i n g through Dumbreck, Mosspark, Crookston and crossing over the White Cart water via Te l fo rd ' s magn i f i cen t s ing le s p a n aqueduct of 1809 at Blackball (which still carries the existing railway) in to P a i s l e y . F rom there it con t inued through Elderslie to Johnstone where there was to be a lockage. In Paisley and E l d e r s l i e we sti l l h a v e C a n a l streets and in Johnstone the Cana l Garage sits at the old canal basin.

So far then the canal required no locks and consequently little or no loss of water but it was topped up by var ious burns, the Peok land burn, ( i tsel f car ry ing mine d ra inage ) in Johnstone and the Candren burn in P a i s l e y . T h a t burn 's f low p a s s e d under the canal in an inverted siphon, with a sluice which allowed water to be drawn into the canal as required, and wh ich can st i l l be s e e n . To continue beyond Johnstone however towards Lochwinnoch it would have

to follow the B l a c k Car t water on a gradual cl imb and so would require locks. Further on through Ayrshire and Kilbirnie loch, and down again to s e a level at Ardrossan would necess i ta te further locks with the consequent loss of water every time a boat went through, and water rights had to be purchased. At this point the Ear l had already borrowed money to keep the work going but there w a s insuf f ic ient cap i ta l to cont inue further. In any case railways were being built in various parts of the country and it was beginning to look a s if canals were on the way out. To be continued

lain Morrison and Alan Muir

1 Hfi\ms/\m l acHiBmon

HMS VICTORY

lanning is underway for an exhibition to celebrate the bicentenary of the Battle of

Trafalgar in 2005. The exhibition will coincide with the year-long S e a Britain 2005 festival with a wide range of events happening throughout the country. You can find out more about this maritime festival by visiting the website:http:www.seabritain2005.com

Or visit http:/www.paintedships.com for information specifically relating to the Trafalgar celebrations. You can write to the fol lowing a d d r e s s to reques t information: S imon B e a l , Br i tannic House, 140 Ashley Crescent, London. SW11 5QZ

THE OTHER GLENLEE T radi t ional ly , many s h i p s are

named after people and places among them c i t i es , r i ve r s ,

mountains -and glens. S o , where is Glenlee, if indeed there is one?

very pretty house, built of granite, in a very fine position overlooking the glen, with wild hills at the back." Away to the north stretches Glen Mark, but we do not go here.

There is a Glen Lee. It lies in the foothills of the G r a m p i a n s , to the north of Strathmore, and deep in the hills of Angus. At its closest it is some 6 miles to the northeast, a s the eagle flies, of Glen Clova, and the waters which rise there flow east to join the sea just south of the rich red soils of the Mearns.

To reach Glen Lee one must leave the A90 just north of Brechin, taking the B966 through Edzel l . About 1 mile north of the village, immediately after the right hand bend where the road crosses the River North Esk , take a sharp left into the u n c l a s s i f i e d road wh i ch runs through Glen Esk . The road is at first deeply wooded, then opens out into a wide panorama of hills and bends. One cannot but enjoy the scenery a s the road is so slow it takes a good half hour to drive the 14 miles to the car park at the end of the road beyond the tiny hamlet of Tarfside. From here on one needs stout footwear and rainproof clothing.

On foot now, half a mile further on where the ruins of Invermark Castle stand, the North Esk becomes the Water of Lee, and close by to the right lies Invermark Lodge, built in 1853 by the Ea r l of D a l h o u s i e who a l s o laid out the su r round ing dee r fo res t . Q u e e n V i c to r i a , who s t a y e d there tw ice , descr ibed the house a s "a new and

Shortly, after the ruins of the old church, we come to the windswept shores of Loch Lee and follow its north side for a mile to the head of the loch. There ahead stand Queen Victor ia 's wild hills, a wall of crags lying north-south a c r o s s the head of the val ley, but through which the two burns feeding Loch Lee flow. To the left where these two waters join is the Water of Unich, forcing its way through a narrow gorge between C ra ig Maske ld ie and the Eag le 's Craig of Hunt Hill only after winding its course through the narrow valley behind and tumbling violently through the Fal ls of Unich and the Fal ls of Danff.

To the nght the smaller Water of Lee, between Monawee to the east and the escarpment of Hunt Hill to the west, then turning from the west below the crags of the Wolf Craig. From these latter two, both over two thousand feet, one can see ten miles to Lochnagar to the west and beyond, and between and below them lies, in contrast to its wild neighbour Unich, a more gentle and partly wooded val ley. Here a t rack makes the going eas ie r but the old crofts have long gone, and the glen lies empty and silent, save for the sound of burn and birds. This is Glen Lee.

i. P.V.JONES

If you have any interesting objects in your attic or ancestors connected with the battle, staff at The Tall Ship would be delighted to hear from you. Jenny Mercer

Retreat from Burma 1942 - the fate of Ctydebiiilt Ships

GLENLEE ANNIVERSARY LECTURE By now you should have received your invitation to attend the annual Anniversary Lecture. We are pleased to announce that this yea r ' s lecture will be given by the renowned naval historian and author of 'Song of the Clyde', Fred Walker. It will be held on Fnday 3'^ December, at 6pm. The title is 'The Quest for the Efficient Ship -looking for a perfect l a d y ? ' You are welcome to bring a guest, and, should you wish to attend, please contact us on 0141 222 2513 to let us know.

out of the great Clyde craries -Brian Newman

The TmnsatlantiG Liners ColrnCfeatte ( •

M e m b e r s h i p S e c r e t a r y : lain Morr ison,

19 Greenh i l l C r e s c e n t , E l d e r s l i e P A 5 9 A W

Tel : 01505 321 857 Webs i te :

http/ /vvww.thetal lship.com