On the River Clyde - Hebridean Princess

The Hebridean Princess was towed up the River Clyde by two tugs yesterday.  It was a very windy day! 

 

 

During the summer she is used for cruises around Scotland.

 

She is safely berthed in the James Watt Dock today.

The Greenockian

Greenock In Autumn

Before the leaves have gone completely ....

 

The Greenockian

John Fleming - Greenock Artist

I came across this interesting gravestone in Greenock's Duncan Street cemetery at the weekend.  It marks the grave of John Fleming a local artist who was born in Greenock in 1792.  If you look very closely you can just make out that the top is a depiction of an artist's palette with paint brushes.  The weather has taken its toll and I can't quite make out the writing on the scroll across it.

 

 

 

John Fleming was mainly noted for his landscapes, many of which are of the local area and are a fascinating glimpse of how Greenock looked at that time. 

He was also a portrait painter - many of his sitters were local merchants.  This is a self portrait.

 

 

John Fleming was an original member of the "Institution for Promoting and Encouraging the Fine Arts in the West of Scotland" formed by forty-three west of Scotland men in 1821.  They held their first exhibition later that year in a Glasgow gallery in South Maxwell Street (near where the St Enoch Centre is now).  Fleming supplied the drawings for Joseph Swan's engravings of the local area.  Fleming became a member of and exhibited at the West of Scotland Academy in 1841.

 

Based in Greenock, John Fleming appears in several trade directories, having premises in William Street and then moving to Hamilton Street.  He was a member of the Watt Club in the town.  He died at Hamilton Street on 16 February 1845.  His obituary shows the esteem in which he was held locally.
 

 

Fittingly his gravestone states that it was erected

"by a few friends and admirers of his genius."

 

 

You can see some of Fleming's work at the McLean Museum and Art Gallery in Greenock and online here.

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God Speed Greenock!

The motto on Greenock's old coat of arms is  God Speed Greenock.

 

God speed is a old phrase which means God prosper you or good fortune, said especially to those starting out on a journey.  This is particularly apt for Greenock which was once a major port, with ships and mariners travelling to all corners of the globe.

 

Other elements of the coat of arms also relate to this great maritime past, the sailing ship being the most obvious one.  Greenock was once a major centre for herring fishing - thus the three fish.

 

This depiction shows men with barrels - again, many herring were salted, encased in barrels and sent all over the world from here.  Many other goods were imported by ship to Greenock, like tobacco and sugar, processed here and then exported worldwide on local ships.

 

 

The set of three covered cups or goblets is the emblem of the old local land owning family, the Schaws.  They were reputed to have been Masters of the Wine Cellar and Cupbearers to the Kings of Scotland.  This job meant that they had to taste the king's wine before he drank it to make sure it didn't contain poison!  Haven't heard of any of them dying while employed in that capacity - a dangerous occupation in troubled times!

 

All these depictions of Greenock's motto and coat of arms come from inside the Municipal Buildings in Greenock which were completed in 1886.

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I Can See For Miles ...

It was an absolutely beautiful day here in Greenock.

 

The spire of Greenock's old Cartsburn Church looks majestic against the backdrop of the snow capped hills of Argyll and the River Clyde.  Scotland is truly a beautiful place to live.

 

Cartsburn Church - abandoned and derelict -

 

and yet somehow absolutely beautiful!

 

Who is that having a wee rest on top of the spire?

 

Just one of our local seagulls.

 

I was inspired to join InSPIRED Sunday today - pop over and see some other lovely church spires from around the world.

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Enigmatic

The gardens of the McLean Museum and Art Gallery in Greenock contain some interesting items.

 

These pieces of sculpture are absolutely beautiful - so enigmatic.

 

It looks as if these date stones have come from old buildings in the town.

 

Here are some views of the Museum itself.

 

If you are ever in Greenock you must visit the Museum and Art Gallery, it contains some wonderful items telling Greenock's history.

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Daniel Cottier's Window of Hope

I've another beautiful stained glass window to show you today.  It is also from the same church, Lyle Kirk, Esplanade, Greenock (the Old West) as the Edward Burne-Jones window I've described previously.

It is called "Hope" and is by the Scottish artist, Daniel Cottier.  The little legend at the bottom of the picture reads:-

Daniel Cottier glass painter places this window in the Old West to the memory of his grandfather Archibald McLean master mariner of this Port who died in the year 1847 aged 80 years.

Cottier's grandfather, Archibald McLean married Mary Smith.  Their daughter, Margaret McLean who was born in Greenock, married a mariner, Daniel Cottier and had a son they also named Daniel.

The window was put in place in 1884 and depicts a beautiful woman.  Around her head are the letters SPES - this was the name of the Roman goddess of Hope.  She stands in what appears to be a walled garden in which are a few flowers.  Spes was usually depicted holding a flower, again this is a symbol of spring and with it fresh hope and new growth. 

The upper half of the window has greenery, behind which can be seen the masts and rigging of a sailing ship - reference to Cottier's grandfather's occupation as master mariner.

This seafaring imagery is also continued in the anchor (another symbol of hope and steadfastness) which is depicted in the little roundel which contains words from the New Testament book of Romans.  I am sure that for many of the mariners' wives and daughters, this would have been a comforting piece of scripture as at that time sea voyages lasted for many months, even years. 

I think that it is a beautiful window, so peaceful and serene.

Daniel Cottier was born in 1839 in Glasgow and served his apprenticeship with firm of glass stainers, John Cairney & Co.  Later he moved to London and studied under the famous artist Ford Maddox Brown.  He returned to Scotland and was responsible for the stained glass for many churches.  In 1869 he founded Cottier & Co in Regent Street in London.  In Australia he joined with fellow Scot to start the firm Messrs Lyon, Cottier & Co who had premises at 333 Pitt Street, Sydney.  He also opened a branch in New York.  He collaborated with and inspired Louis Comfort Tiffany.  A man of many talents, he worked on decorative interiors and furniture and was an important art dealer.  Cottier died in Jacksonville, Florida in 1891.  His body was taken back to New York where he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

If you want to find out more, you can check out the website of the Cottier Theatre, the former Dowanhill Church in the west end of Glasgow, decorated by Cottier and William Leiper in 1865, and which has had extensive restoration work done recently. 

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The Clyde

A photograph for today. 

 

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Derelict Church In Greenock

This is the former Nelson Street E U Church in Greenock.

 

 

It has been lying empty for quite a while now.

 

Unfortunately vandals and the passing of time have made it quite derelict.

 

Such a shame!

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A Bull Fight in Greenock - 1866

No, not this kind of bull fight!

 

More like raging bulls!  This is an article from the Glasgow Herald of 24 January 1866.

 

Sounds like there was utter chaos on the quayside.  I love the description of "great consternation among the strangers and loungers on the quay" and everyone having to run for safety.

Bulls, sheep, horses, loungers - must have caused quite a stir in the town!

 

Still, looks like it all ended well with no human casualties!

 The Greenockian

Greenock's Caged Bird

I pass by the McLean Museum & Art Gallery in Greenock at least a couple of times a week and only noticed for the first time yesterday that this sculpture in the Museum gardens is actually a bird.

 

 

Not only that, but I discovered that it was created by the celebrated local artist George Wyllie (1921-2012)!

 

Named "Caged Peacock", it was originally commissioned for Princes Square, Glasgow and brought to Greenock in 2006 where it was given a lovely new home in the gardens outside the McLean Museum.

 

Made of stainless steel and glass, it is 3 metres high.

 

Note to self when walking around Greenock - don't just look - SEE!

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