The James Watt Tower

In 1856 Greenock's Watt Club (founded in 1813) proposed the building of this beautiful campanile in Greenock Cemetery as a memorial to the brilliant engineer, Greenock born James Watt (1736-1819).

The idea was put forward by Greenock Watt Club members - historian George Williamson (1813-1899) and John Gray (1797-1867), a local councillor and merchant.  The Club met on the anniversary of Watt's birth, 30 January, usually in the Tontine Hotel.  The proposal, written by George Williamson was:- 

“at first to erect on this spot a vast structure of a lofty and imposing appearance, to be seen from every part of the surrounding neighbourhood; and that all the nations of the world should be invited to contribute the materials; that those materials should be simply blocks of stone more or less unchiselled, of every shape and colour and size, granite or marble, freestone or whinstone, piled aloft, and fastened with cement; each block to be inscribed with the name of the donor and the place or country whence it came”.

James Watt

The tower was designed by Robert Macintosh, the architect of Gabriel Wood Mariners Home.  A site at the top of the main pathway in Greenock Cemetery had been obtained, levelled and cleared for the foundations.  Donations of rock had been received from all over the world.

The memorial tower would have been a magnificent structure, standing 514 feet above sea level at the highest point in the Cemetery and would have stood:-  "forty feet square at the base rising to a height of 163 feet.  Surmounted by a turret or observatory for the further height of 52 feet making the total height 225 feet above the base line."

The upper turret would have contained an electric time-ball and could have been used for making nautical and astronomical observations.  “To make the structure useful to all engaged in the navigation of the noble estuary of the Clyde".  The inside rooms were to be 30 feet square connected by means of a circular staircase and open gallery.  Niches and recesses would have contained "statues, busts or other memorials commemorative of men eminent in science or philosophy."

“Gifts of materials from every quarter of the globe, inasmuch as there is no portion of the civilised world which is not indebted to the genius of Watt."

James Watt cairn in Greenock Cemetery

Unfortunately it was not to be probably due to lack of funds and declining interest in the project.  Donations of stone continued to be sent to Greenock and eventually it was decided that using them to build a cairn would be the best way of commemorating James Watt.  

Watt family gravestones moved from Old West Kirk

When the Old West Kirk was removed to Greenock Esplanade, the remains of Watt's family and their gravestones were re interred beside the cairn.  The Watt Tower would have been a wonderful memorial to James Watt.

For more information about the Watt Cairn and the donated stones please read my previous post here.