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| − | {{River
| + | #REDIRECT [[River MeepMeep]] |
| − | | River
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| − | | name = River Clyde
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| − | | gaelic = Abhainn Chluaidh
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| − | | type = river
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| − | | image = EastGlasgow.JPG
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| − | | image_size = 288
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| − | | image_caption = The River Clyde at [[Glasgow]]'s Broomielaw
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| − | | etymology =
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| − | | country = Scotland
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| − | | district = South Lanarkshire
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| − | | district1 = Argyll
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| − | | district2 = Ayrshire
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| − | | district3 =
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| − | | district_type = Counties
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| − | | city = Lanark
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| − | | city1 = Glasgow
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| − | | city2 = Bothwell
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| − | | city3 = Greenock
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| − | | landmark = Falls of Clyde (waterfalls)
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| − | | landmark1 = Bothwell Castle
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| − | | landmark2 = Firth of Clyde
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| − | | landmark3 =
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| − | | length = 176
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| − | | watershed = 4000
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| − | | discharge1_location =
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| − | | discharge_min =
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| − | | discharge_location =
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| − | | discharge =
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| − | | discharge_max_note =
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| − | | discharge2 =
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| − | | discharge2_location =
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| − | | discharge_note =
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| − | | source_name = [[Lowther Hills]] in [[South Lanarkshire]]
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| − | | source_location =
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| − | | source_district = South Lanarkshire
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| − | | source_region =
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| − | | source_state =
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| − | | source_country = Scotland, United Kingdom
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| − | | source_lat_d = 55
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| − | | source_lat_m = 24
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| − | | source_lat_s = 23.8
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| − | | source_lat_NS = N
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| − | | source_long_d = 3
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| − | | source_long_m = 39
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| − | | source_long_s = 8.9
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| − | | source_long_EW = W
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| − | | source_elevation =
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| − | | source_length =
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| − | | mouth_name = Firth of Clyde
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| − | | mouth_location =
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| − | | mouth_district = North Ayrshire
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| − | | mouth_region =
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| − | | mouth_state =
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| − | | mouth_country = Scotland, United Kingdom
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| − | | mouth_lat_d = 55
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| − | | mouth_lat_m = 40
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| − | | mouth_lat_s = 46.3
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| − | | mouth_lat_NS = N
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| − | | mouth_long_d = 4
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| − | | mouth_long_m = 58
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| − | | mouth_long_s = 16.7
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| − | | mouth_long_EW = W
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| − | | mouth_elevation =
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| − | | tributary_left =
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| − | | tributary_left1 =
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| − | }}
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| − | The '''River Clyde''' ({{lang-gd|Abhainn Chluaidh}}, {{IPA-gd|avɪɲˈxlˠ̪uəj|pron}}, {{lang-sco|Watter o Clyde}}) is a [[river]] in [[Scotland]]. It is the eighth longest river in the [[United Kingdom]], and the second longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of [[Glasgow]], it was an important river for [[shipbuilding]] and [[trade]] in the [[British Empire]]. In the early medieval [[Cumbric language]] it was known as ''Clud'' or ''Clut'', and was central to the [[Kingdom of Strathclyde]] (''Teyrnas Ystrad Clut'').
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| − | | |
| − | == Course ==
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| − | The Clyde is formed by the confluence of two streams, the [[Daer Water]] (the headwaters of which are dammed to form the [[Daer Reservoir]]) and the Potrail Water. The [[Southern Upland Way]] crosses both streams before they meet at Watermeetings ({{gbmapping|NS953131}}) to form the River Clyde proper. At this point the Clyde is only {{convert|10|km|mi|abbr=off|0}} from Tweed's Well, the source of the [[River Tweed]], and {{convert|13|km|mi|abbr=off|0}} from the [[Devil's Beef Tub]], the source of the [[River Annan]].
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| − | From there it snakes northeastward before turning to the west, its [[flood plain]] used for many major [[road]]s in the area, until it reaches the town of [[Lanark]]. On the banks of the Clyde, the industrialists [[David Dale]] and [[Robert Owen]], built their mills and the model settlement of [[New Lanark]]. The mills harness the power of the [[Falls of Clyde (waterfalls)|Falls of Clyde]], the most spectacular of which is Cora Linn. A [[hydroelectric]] power station still generates electricity here, although the mills are now a museum and [[World Heritage Site]].
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| − | {{multiple image
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| − | | image1 = Clyde.catchment.jpg
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| − | | width1 = 120
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| − | | alt1 =
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| − | | caption1 = [[Drainage basin|Catchment]] of the River Clyde
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| − | | image2 = Clyde.tributaries.jpg
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| − | | width2 = 120
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| − | | alt2 =
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| − | | caption2 = Tributaries of the River Clyde
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| − | }}
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| − | Between the towns of [[Motherwell]] and [[Hamilton, South Lanarkshire|Hamilton]] the course of the river has been altered to create an artificial loch within [[Strathclyde Park]]. Part of the original course can still be seen, and lies between the island and the east shore of the loch. The river then flows through [[Blantyre, Scotland|Blantyre]] and [[Bothwell]], where the ruined [[Bothwell Castle]] stands on a defensible [[promontory]].
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| − | Past [[Uddingston]] and into the southeast of Glasgow the river begins to widen, meandering a course through [[Rutherglen, Glasgow|Rutherglen]] and [[Dalmarnock]]. Flowing past [[Glasgow Green]], the river is artificially straightened and widened through the centre, and although the new [[Clyde Arc]] now hinders access to the traditional ''Broomielaw'' dockland area, seagoing ships can still come upriver as far as [[Finnieston]] where the [[PS Waverley]] docks. From there, it flows past the shipbuilding heartlands, through [[Govan]], [[Partick]], [[Whiteinch]], [[Scotstoun]] and [[Clydebank]], all of which housed major [[shipyard]]s, of which only two remain. The river flows out west of Glasgow, past [[Renfrew, Scotland|Renfrew]], and under the [[Erskine Bridge]] past [[Dumbarton]] on the north shore to the sandbank at Ardmore Point between [[Cardross, Argyll and Bute|Cardross]] and [[Helensburgh]]. Opposite, on the south shore, the river continues past the last ''Lower Clyde'' shipyard at [[Port Glasgow]] to [[Greenock]] where it reaches the [[Tail of the Bank]] as the river merges into the [[Firth of Clyde]]. At the mouth of the River Clyde there has been a significant issue of oxygen depletion in the water column.<ref>C.Michael Hogan. 2011. [http://www.eoearth.org/article/Irish_Sea?topic=49523 ''Irish Sea''. eds. P.Saundry & C.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC]</ref>
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| − | There are around 72 bridges (rail, road, foot and other) that cross the Clyde, from estuary to source. The valley of the Clyde was the focus for the G-BASE project from the British Geological Survey in the summer of 2010.{{clear}}
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| − | | |
| − | == Industrial growth ==
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| − | {{stack|
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| − | [[File:NewlanarkNL06.jpg|thumb|[[New Lanark]] Mill Hotel and Waterhouses by River Clyde]]
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| − | [[File:Clyde at Port Glasgow.jpg|thumb|The River Clyde opening out at [[Newark Castle, Port Glasgow]] past Clydeport Ocean Terminal, [[Greenock]], to the [[Firth of Clyde]] on the left, and to the right past Ardmore Point to the [[Gare Loch]]]]
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| − | [[File:John Atkinson Grimshaw - Shipping on the Clyde (1881).jpg|thumb|Shipping on the Clyde, by [[John Atkinson Grimshaw]], 1881]]
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| − | }}
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| − | The success of the Clyde at the beginning of the [[Industrial Revolution]] was driven by the location of Glasgow, being a [[port]] facing the [[Americas]]. [[Tobacco]] and [[cotton]] trade began the drive in the early 18th century. However, the shallow Clyde was not navigable for the largest ocean-going ships and cargo had to be transferred at [[Greenock]] or [[Port Glasgow]] to smaller ships to sail upstream into Glasgow itself.
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| − | === Deepening the Upper Clyde ===
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| − | In 1768 [[John Golborne]] advised the narrowing of the river and the increasing of the scour by the construction of rubble jetties and the dredging of sandbanks and shoals. A particular problem was the division of the river into two shallow channels by the [[Dumbuck]] shoal near [[Dumbarton]]. After [[James Watt]]'s report on this in 1769, a jetty was constructed at [[Longhaugh Point]] to block off the southern channel. This being insufficient, a training wall called the [[Lang Dyke]] was built in 1773 on the Dumbuck shoal to stop water flowing over into the southern channel. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries hundreds of jetties were built out from the banks between Dumbuck and the [[Broomielaw]] quay in Glasgow itself. In some cases this resulted in an immediate deepening as the constrained water flow washed away the river bottom; in others, dredging was required.<!---<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | title = Glasgow | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica | volume = 12 | pages = 84 | location = London | year = 1911 | url = http://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=User:Tim_Starling/ScanSet_TIFF_demo&vol=12&page=EC2A097 | accessdate = 2007-05-10}}</ref>----><ref>{{cite book | last=Riddell | first=John F | editor= Goodman, David (ed) | title= The European Cities and Technology Reader | year=1999 | publisher=Routledge in association with the Open University | location=London | isbn=0-415-20082-2 | pages=57–63 |chapter= Improving the Clyde: the eighteenth century phase
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| − | }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title =Making the Clyde | work =Best Laid Schemes | url =http://www.bestlaidschemes.com/river/river-clyde/glasgow-made-the-clyde/clip-1/ | accessdate =2007-05-10 }}</ref>
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| − | In the mid-19th century engineers took on a much greater [[dredging]] of the Clyde, removing millions of cubic feet of [[silt]] to deepen and widen the channel. The major stumbling block in the project was a massive [[volcanic plug]] known as [[Elderslie Rock]]. As a result, the work was not completed until the 1880s. At this time, the Clyde also became an important source of inspiration for artists, such as [[John Atkinson Grimshaw]] and [[James Kay (artist)|James Kay]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Macmillan|first=Duncan|title=Scottish Art in the 20th Century|year=1994|publisher=Mainstream Publishing|location=Edinburgh|pages=31–32|ISBN=1-85158-630-X}}</ref> willing to depict the new industrial era and the modern world.
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| − | === Shipbuilding and marine engineering ===
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| − | [[File:Glasgow Shipyard- Shipbuilding in Wartime, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK, 1944 D20847.jpg|thumbnail|left|A Glasgow shipyard in 1944]]
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| − | The completion of the dredging was well-timed; as [[steel]]working grew in the city, the channel finally became navigable all the way up to Glasgow. Shipbuilding replaced trade as the major activity on the river and shipbuilding companies were rapidly establishing themselves on the river. Soon, the Clyde gained a reputation for being the best location for shipbuilding in the [[British Empire]], and grew to become the world's pre-eminent shipbuilding centre. ''Clydebuilt'' became an industry benchmark of quality, and the river's shipyards were given contracts for prestigious ocean-going liners as well as warships, including the [[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]] and the [[RMS Queen Elizabeth 2|Queen Elizabeth 2]] in later years, all built in the town of [[Clydebank]].
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| − | From the founding of the [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Scott family's]] shipyard at Greenock in the year 1712 to the present day over 25,000 ships have been built on the River Clyde and its Firth and on the [[tributary]] [[River Kelvin]] and [[River Cart]] together with boatyards at [[Maryhill]] and [[Kirkintilloch]] on the [[Forth & Clyde Canal]] and [[Blackhill, Glasgow|Blackhill]] on the [[Monkland Canal]]. In the same time frame it is estimated that over 300 firms have engaged in shipbuilding on Clydeside although probably a peak of 30-40 at any one time.
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| − | The shipbuilding firms became 'household names' on Clydeside but also known around the world - [[William Denny and Brothers|Denny]] of Dumbarton, Scott of Greenock, [[Lithgows]] of Port Glasgow, Simon and [[Lobnitz]] of Renfrew, [[Alexander Stephen and Sons]] of Linthouse, [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfield]] of Govan, [[A. & J. Inglis|Inglis]] of Pointhouse, [[Barclay Curle]] of Whiteinch, [[Charles Connell and Company|Connell]] and [[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrow]] of Scotstoun to name but a few. Almost as famous were the engineering firms that supplied the machinery to drive these vessels, the boilers and pumps and steering gear - Rankin & Blackmore, Hastie's and [[John G. Kincaid & Company|Kincaid]]'s of Greenock, Rowan's of Finnieston, [[Weir Group|Weir's]] of Cathcart, Howden's of Tradeston and [[Doosan Babcock|Babcock & Wilcox]] of Renfrew.
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| − | One Clyde 'shipyard' was not even located on one of these waterways - [[Alley & MacLellan]]'s Sentinel Works in Jessie Street at [[Polmadie]] is around half a mile from the Clyde yet it is reputed to have constructed over 500 vessels, many of which were pre-assembled then 'knocked down' to kit form for despatch to some far distant and remote location - one such vessel being the [[SS Chauncy Maples]], still in service on [[Lake Malawi]]. Clyde Shipbuilding reached its peak in the years just before WW1 and it is estimated that over 370 ships were completed in 1913.
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| − | == Yachting and yachtbuilding ==
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| − | The first recorded Clyde racing yacht, a 46-ton cutter, was built by Scotts of Greenock in 1803, and the great Scottish yacht designer William Fyfe did not start designing yachts until 1807. The first yacht club on the Clyde was the [[Northern Yacht Club]], which appeared in 1824 and received its [[Royal Charter]] in 1831. The club was founded to organise and encourage the sport, and by 1825 Scottish and Irish clubs were racing against each other on the Clyde. However, yachting and yacht building didn't really take off until the middle of the 19th century.
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| − | The Clyde became famous worldwide for its significant contribution to yachting and yachtbuilding and was the home of many notable designers: [[William Fife|William Fife III]]; [[Alfred Mylne]]; [[George Lennox Watson|G L Watson]]; E McGruer; David Boyd. It was also the home of many famous yacht yards.
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| − | [[Alexander Robertson and Sons Ltd (Yachtbuilders)|Robertson's Yard]] started repairing boats in a small workshop at Sandbank in 1876, and went on to become one of the foremost wooden boat builders on the Clyde. The 'golden years' of Robertson's yard were in the early 20th century when they started building classic 12- and 15-metre racing yachts. More than 55 boats were built by Robertson's in preparation for the First World War and the yard remained busy even during the Great Depression in the 1930s, as many wealthy businessmen developed a passion for yacht racing on the Clyde. During World War II the yard was devoted to Admiralty work, producing large, high-speed [[Fairmile Marine]] Motor Boats (MTB's - Motor Torpedo Boats- and MGB's - Motor Gun Boats). After the war the yard built the successful one-class Loch Longs and two David Boyd designed 12-metre challengers for the America's Cup: ''Sceptre''<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.britishclassicyachtclub.org/register/Sceptre.htm |title=Sceptre |author= |date= |work= |publisher=britishclassicyachtclub.org |accessdate=3 October 2010}}</ref> (1958) and ''Sovereign'' (1964). Due to difficult business conditions in 1965, the yard was turned over to GRP production work (mainly Pipers and Etchells) until it closed in 1980. During its 104-year history, Robertson's Yard built 500 boats, many of which are still sailing today.
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| − | == Shipbuilding decline ==
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| − | [[File:HMS Daring at Scotstoun.JPG|thumb|Although diminished from its early 20th century heights, [[shipbuilding]] remains an important industry on Clydeside]]
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| − | The downfall of the Clyde as a major [[industry|industrial]] centre came during and post-[[World War II]]. Clydebank in particular was targeted by the [[Luftwaffe]] and sustained heavy damage. The immediate postwar period saw a severe reduction in warship orders which was balanced by a prolonged boom in merchant shipbuilding. By the end of the 1950s, however, the rise of other shipbuilding nations, recapitalised and highly productive, made many [[Europe]]an yards uncompetitive. Several Clydeside yards booked a series of loss-making contracts in the hope of weathering the storm. However, by the mid-1960s, shipbuilding on the Clyde was becoming increasingly uneconomic and potentially faced collapse. This culminated in the closure of [[Harland and Wolff]]'s Linthouse yard and a bankruptcy crisis facing Fairfields of Govan. The Government responded by creating the [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]] consortium. After the consortium's controversial collapse in 1971, the Labour government of [[James Callaghan]] later passed the [[Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act]] which nationalised most of the Clyde's [[shipyards]] and grouped them with other major British shipyards as [[British Shipbuilders]].
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| − | Today, two major shipyards remain in operation on the Upper Clyde; they are owned by the naval defence contractor, [[BAE Systems Surface Ships]], which specialises in the design and construction of technologically advanced warships for the Royal Navy and other navies around the world. The two yards are the former [[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrow]] yard at [[Scotstoun]] and [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfields]] at Govan. There is also the [[King George V Dock, Glasgow|King George V Dock]], operated by the [[Clyde Port Authority]]. On the Lower Clyde, the privately owned [[Ferguson Shipbuilders]] at [[Port Glasgow]] is the last survivor of the many shipyards that once dominated Port Glasgow and [[Greenock]] - its mainstay being the construction of [[RORO|car ferries]].
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| − | == Regeneration ==
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| − | The [[Clyde Waterfront Regeneration]] project is expected to attract investment of up to £5.6bn in the area from Glasgow Green to Dumbarton. [[Market gardening|Market gardens]] and [[garden centre]]s have grown up on the fertile [[flood plain|plains]] of the [[Clyde Valley]]. [[Tourism]] has also brought many back to the riverside, especially in Glasgow where former docklands have given way to housing and amenities on the banks in the city, for instance, the [[Glasgow Harbour]] project, the [[Glasgow Science Centre]], and the creation of the [[Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre]]. With the migration of the commercial Port of Glasgow downstream to the deeper waters of the [[Firth of Clyde]], the river has been extensively cleaned up, once having a very poor reputation for pollution and [[sewage]], in order to make it suitable for recreational use.
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| − | == Media ==
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| − | <gallery>
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| − | file:Wfm bells bridge glasgow.jpg|Bells Bridge
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| − | file:Wfm millennium bridge glasgow.jpg|Millennium Bridge
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| − | file:View over the Clyde in Glasgow.jpg|Modern buildings, including the [[Clyde Auditorium]], [[Finnieston Crane]] and [[Crowne Plaza Glasgow|Crowne Plaza]] hotel.
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| − | file:Clyde_from_M8,_Dumbarton.jpg|The estuary opens out past [[Dumbarton]]
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| − | file:Dumbarton across Clyde.jpg|Looking across to [[Dumbarton]] at low tide
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| − | file:EastGlasgow.JPG|Looking eastwards towards Glasgow's CBD.
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| − | file:Tradeston Bridge.jpg|South Facing view of the [[Tradeston bridge]]
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| − | </gallery>
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| − | == See also ==
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| − | * [[Bonnington Pavilion]]
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| − | * [[HMNB Clyde]]
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| − | * [[Red Clydeside]]
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| − | * [[Rivers of Great Britain]]
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| − | == References ==
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| − | {{reflist}}
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| − | == Bibliography ==
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| − | * Millar, William John. ''The Clyde: from its source to the sea, its development as a navigable river....'' (1888) [http://books.google.com/books?id=8XoLAAAAYAAJ]
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| − | * Shields, John. ''Clyde built: a history of ship-building on the River Clyde'' (1949)
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| − | * Walker, Fred M. ''Song of the Clyde: a history of Clyde shipbuilding'' (1984), 233 pages
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| − | * Williamson, James. ''The Clyde passenger steamer'' (1904) [http://books.google.com/books?id=1UIEAAAAMAAJ full text]
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| − | == External links ==
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| − | {{Commons category}}
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| − | * [http://www.clydepanorama.org River Clyde: Source to Firth Panorama Project]
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| − | * [http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/search.asp The Clyde-built ships data base - lists over 22,000 ships built on the Clyde]
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| − | * [http://www.flickr.com/photos/27903472@N07/3120309164/ Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection on loan to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, ''Shipping on the Clyde'' in Glasgow from Grimshaw, on Flickr.com]
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| − | * [http://www.clydewaterfront.com Clyde Waterfront regeneration]
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| − | * [http://www.clydewaterfrontheritage.com Clyde Waterfront Heritage]
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| − | * [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Environment/Rivers/RiverClyde River Clyde waterfront regeneration]
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| − | * [http://www.erskine-bridge.blogspot.com Gallery of pictures of the River Clyde from the Erskine Bridge]
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| − | * [http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/airgli/airgli0102.htm Glasgow Digital Library: Glimpses of old Glasgow]
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| − | * [http://www.inglasgow.com/inglaig/gallery.asp?categoryid=18 In Glasgow Photo Gallery of pictures of the River Clyde]
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| − | * [http://www.clydebankrestoration.com/ Clydebank Restoration Trust - Pictures and history]
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| − | * [http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/HeritageTrails/ClydeBridges/ Clyde Bridges Heritage Trail]
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| − | * [http://www.clydebankrestoration.com/ Clydebank Restoration Trust]
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| − | {{River Clyde}}
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| − | {{Clydeshipyards}}
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| − | {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2011}}
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| − | [[Category:Rivers of Glasgow|Clyde]]
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| − | [[Category:River navigations in the United Kingdom|Clyde]] | |
