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Whilst staying the week with girlfriend we was watching a programme and this come up on it. It looked interesting so a quick look on maps and was easy to find, as I was literally five mis away driving home, I stopped for a quick look and ended up being here ages. The site is quite extensive and takes a fair bit of walking too get around it. The site is trashed but its very interesting, with a lot of remaining features still when you look properly. It makes for a nice relaxed wander around for a while and one of them places you do not get the scale of it unless you see the docks with your own eyes. with ship building on the Clyde around Glasgow growing at a rapid rate a need for some dry docks for repairs and overhauls. So three docks were built between 1869 and 1898. the first dock was opened in 1875, the second in 1875 and the third and largest one in 1897 at a cost of £241,000 pounds. the dock its self measured 880 feet long, and 115 feet wide at the top. the docks would operate by sailing a boat in, then closing the large gates, the pump houses would use four steam driven pumps to pump the water out. So effective these pumps were, that dock three could be emptied in roughly two hours. Workers could enter the lower reaches of the docks by steps along the dock walls to carry out repairs on the undersides. the inside of the docks were constructed with granite blocks, many of these were hand carved. to me the docks are another superb example of Victorian engineering. The docks remained in use till 1988 when they finally closed. The site has remained derelict since, there has been talk many times of restoration, but nothing has come of it yet. The docks and the remaining pump house at dock one are grade listed.
The remains of the old Victorian pump house at dock one.
Inside the pump house were the centrifugal pumps were are the old pump bases. filled with water and litter.
Looking down the side of dock one and pump house.
Steps into dock one.
looking at dock two shows the gates that would be opened to let the ships in and out.
Each dock has its own walkway going over the gates. some in better condition than others.
Not totally sure what this did.
Looking across dock one
Dock two bridge with levering arms on a roller system.
Double steps for dock two.
Nice to see the manufacturers name on the anchoring points.
Dock three, which is one the largest dry docks in the UK.
The sunken remains of dock three pump house.
The rails for the dock side cranes remain everywhere.
The remains of the old Victorian pump house at dock one.
Inside the pump house were the centrifugal pumps were are the old pump bases. filled with water and litter.
Looking down the side of dock one and pump house.
Steps into dock one.
looking at dock two shows the gates that would be opened to let the ships in and out.
Each dock has its own walkway going over the gates. some in better condition than others.
Not totally sure what this did.
Looking across dock one
Dock two bridge with levering arms on a roller system.
Double steps for dock two.
Nice to see the manufacturers name on the anchoring points.
Dock three, which is one the largest dry docks in the UK.
The sunken remains of dock three pump house.
The rails for the dock side cranes remain everywhere.
