River Clyde (Gaelic: Abhainn Chluaidh)
The River Clyde, looking eastwards upstream, as it passes beneath the Kingston Bridge in Central Glasgow. Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. The Kingston Bridge is a ten lane road bridge crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland.
Country	Scotland
Counties	South Lanarkshire, Argyll, Ayrshire
Major cities	Lanark, Glasgow, Bothwell, Greenock
Landmarks	Falls of Clyde, Bothwell Castle, Firth of Clyde
Length	176 km (109 mi)
Watershed	4,000 km² (1,544 sq mi)
Source	Lowther Hills in South Lanarkshire
- coordinates	55°24′4″N 3°39′10″W / 55.40111, -3.65278
Mouth	Firth of Clyde
- coordinates	55°40′0″N 5°0′0″W / 55.66667, -5

The River Clyde (Gaelic: Abhainn Chluaidh, pronounced [avɪɲˈxɫ̪uəj]) is a major river in Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. South Lanarkshire ( Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the Argyll, Archaically Argyle ( Earra-Ghàidheal in modern Gaelic) is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part Ayrshire (Siorrachd Inbhir Àir ʃir̴əxg̊ iɲiɾʲˈaːɾʲ is a Registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, Lanark is a small town in the Central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Bothwell is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, that lies on the right bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Hamilton and nine miles Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western For the Scottish waterfalls and wildlife reserve see Falls of Clyde (waterfalls. Bothwell Castle is a large Medieval Castle sited on a high steep bank above a bend in the River Clyde, between Uddingston and Bothwell The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer Firth in The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. South Lanarkshire ( Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of the The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer Firth in Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. It is the eighth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom See also Shipbuilding (song. Shipbuilding is the construction of Ships It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power.

Course

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 (grid reference NS953131) to form the River Clyde proper. Opened in 1984, the Southern Upland Way is a coast to coast walk in Scotland between Portpatrick in the west and Cockburnspath in the east The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude At this point the Clyde is only six miles (10 km) from Tweed's Well, the source of the River Tweed and eight miles (13 km) from the Devil's Beef Tub, the source of the River Annan. There are other rivers with this name see Tweed River The River Tweed ( Uisge Thuaidh in Gaelic (156 kilometres or long flows primarily through the The Devil's Beef Tub is a deep dramatic hollow in the hills north of the Scottish town of Moffat. The River Annan ( Uisge Annan in Gaelic is a River in southwest Scotland.

New Lanark Mill Hotel and Waterhouses by River Clyde

From there it snakes northeastward before turning to the west, its flood plain used for many major roads in the area, until it reaches the town of Lanark. New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 14 miles (or 2 ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic A road is an identifiable route, way or path between two or more places. Lanark is a small town in the Central belt of Scotland. Its population of 8253 makes it the 100th largest settlement in Scotland On the banks of the Clyde, Victorian industrialists David Dale and Robert Owen built their mills and the model settlement of New Lanark. David Dale (1739 &ndash 1806 was a Scottish Merchant and Businessman, famous for establishing the influential Weaving community of New Robert Owen (14 May 1771 – 17 Nov 1858 born in Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales was a social reformer and one of the founders of Socialism New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 14 miles (or 2 The mills harness the power of the Falls of Clyde, the most spectacular of which is Cora Linn. For the only surviving iron-hulled full rigged ship and the only surviving sail-driven oil-tanker in the world see Falls of Clyde. A hydroelectric power station still generates electricity here, although the mills are now a museum and World Heritage Site. Hydroelectricity is electricity generated by Hydropower, ie the production of power through use of the gravitational force of falling water A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex

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. Newark Castle ( is a well-preserved Castle sited on the south shore of the Estuary of the River Clyde in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer Firth in The Gare Loch or Gareloch ( Gaelic: An Gearr Loch) is a Sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

From New Lanark, the river turns northwest, before it is joined by the River Avon and flows into the West of Scotland conurbation. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population Between the towns of Motherwell and Hamilton the course of the river has been altered to create the artificial loch within Strathclyde Park. Motherwell ( Tobar na Màthar in Gaelic) and ( Motherwill in local Scots - local people tend not to pronouce the 'e' in Motherwell is a large Town Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west- Central Lowlands of Scotland. Strathclyde Country Park is a Country park located in Lanarkshire, Scotland. 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 and Bothwell, where the ruined Bothwell Castle stands on a defensible promontory. This article is about the location in Scotland See also Blantyre Malawi. Bothwell is a small town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, that lies on the right bank of the River Clyde, adjacent to Hamilton and nine miles Bothwell Castle is a large Medieval Castle sited on a high steep bank above a bend in the River Clyde, between Uddingston and Bothwell

Past Uddingston and into the southeast of Glasgow the river begins to widen, meandering a course through Rutherglen and Dalmarnock. Uddingston is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the north side of the River Clyde, approximately seven miles to the south-east of Glasgow Rutherglen (pronounced ruh-ther-glen is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. Dalmarnock (Dail Mheàrnaig is a District in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Flowing past Glasgow Green, the river is artificially straightened and widened through the centre, and although a footbridge now hinders access to the traditional Broomielaw, seagoing ships can still come upriver as far as Finnieston where the PS Waverley docks. Glasgow Green is a Park situated in the east end of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde. Finnieston is a District in the Western fringe of the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, situated on the North bank of the River Clyde. History The Waverley was built in 1946 as a replacement for an earlier PS Waverley of 1899 that took part in the WW II war effort as a minesweeper From there, it flows past the shipbuilding heartlands, through Govan, Partick, Whiteinch, Scotstoun and Clydebank, all of which housed major shipyards, of which only two remain. Govan ( Scottish Gaelic: Baile a' Ghobhainn) is a district and former Burgh in the southwestern part of the City of Glasgow, Partick ( Partaig in Gaelic) (formerly Perdyc or Perthick) is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde Whiteinch ( Gd Innis Bhàn) is a District in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships These can be Yachts military The river flows out west of Glasgow, past Renfrew, and under the Erskine Bridge past Dumbarton on the north shore to the sandbank at Ardmore Point between Cardross and Helensburgh. Renfrew ( Rinn Friù in Scottish Gaelic) is a town located west of Glasgow on the west coast of Scotland. The Erskine Bridge is a cable-stayed Box girder bridge spanning the River Clyde in west central Scotland, connecting West Dunbartonshire Dumbarton ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ is a Burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde Cardross ( Càrdainn Ros in Gaelic) is a large village in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton Helensburgh ( Baile Eilidh in Gaelic) is a Burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. 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. Port Glasgow ( Gaelic Port Ghlaschu pɔɾʃd̪̊ˈɣɫ̪as̪əxu is the second largest town in the Inverclyde Council area Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western The Tail of the Bank is the name given to the Anchorage in the upper Firth of Clyde immediately north of Greenock and Gourock. The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer Firth in

Industrial growth

The Clyde flowing through Glasgow. The Finnieston Crane on the left is seen as a lasting symbol of the industrial heritage of the Clyde. Purpose Connected to a spur of the Stobcross Railway, the crane's primary purpose was to lift massive Boilers and Engines onto new ships at the time

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. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America Tobacco and cotton trade began the drive in the early 18th century. Tobacco is an Agricultural product recognized as an addictive drug processed from the fresh Leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp 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 into Glasgow itself. Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train,

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. Dumbarton ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ is a Burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde 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. James Watt ( 19 January 1736 &ndash 25 August 1819 Boulton proved to be an excellent businessman and both men eventually made fortunes 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. ^[1][2][3]

In the mid-19th century engineers took on a much greater dredging of the Clyde, removing millions of cubic metres of silt to deepen and widen the channel. Dredging is an Excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater in shallow seas or Fresh water areas with the purpose of Silt is Soil or rock derived Granular material of a Grain size between sand and clay The major stumbling block in the project was a massive volcanic plug known as Elderslie Rock. It would be the 1880s before work was finally complete. The completion of the dredging was well-timed, as steelworking grew in the city, the channel finally became navigable all the way up to Glasgow. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 Shipbuilding replaced trade as the major activity on the river and shipbuilding companies were establishing themselves on the river at an exponential rate. Soon, the Clyde gained a reputation for being the best location for shipbuilding in the British Empire, and grew to become the worlds pre-eminent shipbuilding centre. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. 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 Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth 2 in later years, all built in the town of Clydebank. Naming and construction With Germany launching their and into service the British did not want to be left out in this ship building race Characteristics The ship has a and is 963 ft (294 m long She had a top speed of using her original steam turbine powerplant which was increased to when she was re-engined Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland

Shipbuilding decline

Although diminished from its early 20th century heights, shipbuilding remains an important industry on Clydeside.

The downfall of the Clyde as a major industrial centre came during and post-World War II. For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Clydebank in particular was targeted by the Luftwaffe and sustained heavy damage. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. The immediate post war 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 European yards uncompetitive. Many 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. Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction The Government responded by creating the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders consortium. Upper Clyde Shipbuilders was a group which amalgamated the major shipbuilders of the River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland from 1967 to 1971 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. The Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that nationalised large parts of the UK Aerospace Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships These can be Yachts military British Shipbuilders Corporation was a Public corporation that owned and managed the UK shipbuilding industry from 1977 and through the 1980s

Today, two major shipyards remain in operation on the Upper Clyde; they are owned by the Global defence contractor, BAE Systems Naval Ships, who focus principally upon the design and construction of technologically advanced warships for the Royal Navy and other navies around the world. BAE Systems Surface Fleet Solutions was a wholly owned subsidiary of BAE Systems, based in Glasgow responsible for the company's surface shipbuilding operations These are the former Yarrow yard at Scotstoun and Fairfields / Govan Shipbuilders at Govan. Yarrow (Shipbuilders Limited (YSL often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipyard now part of BVT Surface Fleet, a joint venture between BAE Systems Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Scotland Govan Shipbuilders Ltd was a British company of the Clydeside area of Glasgow in Scotland taking its name from the Govan There is also the King George V Dock, operated by the Clyde Port Authority. For the dock of the same name in London England see King George V Dock King George V Dock is a dock for ocean-going vessels located near 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 car ferries. Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a Shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. Port Glasgow ( Gaelic Port Ghlaschu pɔɾʃd̪̊ˈɣɫ̪as̪əxu is the second largest town in the Inverclyde Council area Greenock ( Gaelic Grianaig g̊ɾʲiənɛg̊ʲ is a large town and former Burgh of barony in the Inverclyde Council area of western

Development of tourism

However, Clydeside has gained new draws to replace the once dominant shipbuilding industry. Market gardens and garden centres have grown up on the fertile plains of the Clyde Valley. "Market garden" redirects here For the World War II operation see Operation Market Garden. A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic The River Clyde ( Gaelic: Abhainn Chluaidh, avɪɲˈxɫ̪uəj is a major River in Scotland. 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. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Glasgow Harbour is an urban regeneration scheme at Partick in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Glasgow Science Centre is a visitor attraction located on the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre ( SECC) located on the north bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow, is Scotland's national venue 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. The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer Firth in Sewage is the mainly liquid Waste containing some solids produced by humans which typically consists of washing water Feces, Urine, laundry waste and other

Gallery

St. Ferguson Shipbuilders Limited is a Shipyard located in Port Glasgow on the River Clyde in Scotland. Lithgows Limited, was a British shipbuilding company based in Kingston Port Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland. Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a British shipbuilding company based in Greenock Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Scotland Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a diversified heavy industrial company specialising in Shipbuilding, Ship breaking, Offshore construction Yarrow (Shipbuilders Limited (YSL often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipyard now part of BVT Surface Fleet, a joint venture between BAE Systems Seawind Barclay Curle is a British Shipbuilding company The company was founded as Barclay Curle and Company Limited at Whiteinch in Glasgow Charles Connell and Company was a British shipbuilding company based in Scotstoun in Glasgow on the River Clyde. Anthony and John Inglis founders of A & J Inglis Ltd, were Engineers and Shipbuilders in Glasgow, Scotland during the mid-19th century William Denny and Brothers Limited, and often referred to simply as Denny, were a Scottish shipbuilding company founded in 1840 and based in Dumbarton John Brown and Company of Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, was a pre-eminent Shipbuilder, responsible for building many notable Lobnitz Marine Holdings is a Scottish Shipbuilding company located at Renfrew. William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish Engineering and Shipbuilding company based in Glasgow and the surrounding Clydeside area Andrews footbridge	Bells Bridge	Millennium Bridge	Modern buildings, including the Clyde Auditorium and the Finnieston Crane
The estuary opens out past Dumbarton	Looking across to Dumbarton at low tide	Looking eastwards from the Kingston Bridge

A Clyde mystery

A few years before 1799 the River Clyde ceased to flow over the Falls of Clyde for several hours. The Clyde Auditorium, familiarly known as " The Armadillo " is a Concert and public event venue in Glasgow, Scotland. Purpose Connected to a spur of the Stobcross Railway, the crane's primary purpose was to lift massive Boilers and Engines onto new ships at the time Dumbarton ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ is a Burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde Dumbarton ( Gaelic Dùn Breatainn d̪̊unˈb̊ɾʲɛhd̪̊ɪɲ is a Burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde The Kingston Bridge is a ten lane road bridge crossing the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland. Some blamed this upon a sort of temporary 'ice dam' or upon a subterranean passage. The mill at the falls was left dry and could not work until the flow returned. ^[4]

See also

• Castlehead, Paisley
• Clyde walkway
• Rivers of Great Britain
• Red Clydeside
• Falls of Clyde (waterfalls)
• Bonnington pavilion, Falls of Clyde
• Firth of Clyde
• Glasgow
• Clydesdale (disambiguation)
• HMNB Clyde
• Paisley
• Clydebank Restoration Trust

References

External links

• The Clyde-built ships data base - lists over 22,000 ships built on the Clyde
• River Clyde waterfront regeneration
• Gallery of pictures of the River Clyde from the Erskine Bridge
• Glasgow Digital Library: Glimpses of old Glasgow
• In Glasgow Photo Gallery of pictures of the River Clyde
• Clydebank Restoration Trust - Pictures and history
• Clyde Bridges Heritage Trail