The speaker at the recent Largs Probus Club meeting identified himself with a very interesting title, that of “raider of the lost archives” (Note: this was also the title of a series of BBC Scotland comedy programmes between 2020 and 2022). Norry Wilson, a freelance journalist and copywriter from Glasgow, runs the popular Lost Glasgow Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) pages, which use vintage photography to share the tales of the city, and its people. Norry advised that on a daily basis he goes hunting for vintage images of Glasgow that will trigger people’s memories, raise a smile, and, hopefully, entertain, educate and inform.
Norry spoke on the history of the trade on the Clyde and the role Henry Bell played by introducing the first passenger carrying steamboat the Comet in 1812 to bring wealthy Glasgow merchants to the resort. He was from a family well known at the time as millwrights, builders and engineers. No only was he the owner of the Baths Hydropathic Hotel and Swimming Baths at Helensburgh, he built his steam boat the Comet, which in August of that year made the historical trip from Glasgow to Greenock.
Originally the Baths Hotel
His success led to others recognising the value of trade on the Clyde and The Clyde Navigation Trust was formed in 1858. The Trust continued the ongoing dredging and improvement work that was required to make the river Clyde accessible to ocean-going ships, as well as managing and developing the business of the Clyde. Glasgow soon became a major port and the ship-building industry massively expanded. Due in part to the work of the Trust by the early 1900’s the shipyards of Glasgow had constructed one fifth of all the ships globally in use at the time.
Norry spoke on the trips Glasgow folk made “doon the watter” showing photographs of well-dressed lads and lassies, caught in all their holiday finery in the early 1900s boarding a steamer at the Broomielaw for the sail.
The boats were absolutely heaving with people, the Queen Mary II was licensed for around 2,000 passengers (compared with 800 for the Waverley).and, as soon as the ship cast off, the captain would declare the bar open. The annual arrival of the ‘Glesga keelies’ was boomtime for the local economies of Dunoon, Rothsay, Largs etc., with hotels, cafes, bars and shops all doing a roaring trade.
To avoid the Broomielaw, many made the trip by train, sending their wicker baskets containing bedding, towels, etc. in advance, and photos of Central Station in the 1930s showed everyone wearing headgear. In the 1940s photos showed the MacBraynes and Western Buses meeting passengers at the station and taking them to various locations up the west coast. A 1968 photo of queues at Wemyss Bay station showed it to be one of the most beautiful with exceptional flower displays even to this day. The twelve licensed Porters of Rothsay were portrayed in their finery along with the art deco Pavilion.
All the photographs included with Norry Wilson’s kind permission.
Gordon Law thanked Norry for the blatant nostalgia of his talk and referred to his own family trips to Arran as a young man and his role of checking that their wicker basket had arrived and that their food order was ready for collection at the Co-Op.
Largs Probus Club will next meet in the Willowbank Hotel on Wednesday 14th August at 10am when Tom Ward will speak on Military History.
Men over the age of 50 who are retired, or nearing retirement, can attend three meetings as a guest before deciding whether to become a Club member. Please use our Contact Form if you wish to attend as a guest, or to enquire about joining.