Former Greenock Central Library

Update - this building was demolished in May 2026.  Inverclyde Council report that mural was saved!

This wonderful mural is part of the former Greenock Central Library in Clyde Square, just across from the Municipal Buildings.

The fibreglass frieze is situated above what was the the main entrance and was designed by the artist and sculptor Charles Anderson.

The building itself was designed by the then burgh architect and town planner, James Watson.  This beautiful green slate covers the remainder of the facade.

The Library was opened in July 1970 by the author Eric Linklater.

Greenock's central library is now situated in a different building.  The local council have retained this building - not sure what its use will be.

Joining up with others over at Monday Mural.

Queen Mary 2 at Greenock

On Thursday Greenock had a very special visitor - Cunard's great ship Queen Mary 2.

I love the shape of the bow - so elegant.

Cunard are celebrating their 175th birthday this month and there are going to be amazing celebrations at Liverpool.  But lets not forget that the first Cunard ships were all built on the Clyde here at Greenock and Port Glasgow.

As the ship left at night, there was a fabulous firework display.

This window deserves a closer look!

I absolutely love stained glass windows.

Here's a beautiful example from Lyle Kirk, Union Street, Greenock, formerly known as Ardgowan Parish Church - I've written about its architecture previously.

The fine details are just spectacular.  Look at the patterns in the robes - looks like lace.

Look how the leading is slightly dipped (second panel) to make sure the whole face is in the picture.
There is one little quirk in Ardgowan Church's stained glass window!

Is this chap (fourth panel) wearing a bowler hat?
Come on over and see more churches from around the world at InSPIREd Sunday.

Captain Kidd - the Legend Continues!

It was all over the news yesterday that Captain Kidd's treasure has been found in Madagascar after 300 years.  For many years it was thought that William Kidd was born in Greenock, but new research gives his place of birth as Dundee.  Many of the older sources give his place of birth as Greenock.

Reading Kidd's story, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that his trial and subsequent execution were hardly fair.  Influential people looking out for their own interests contributed to Kidd's downfall.

William Kidd was born in 1645 and went to sea as a boy.  Depending on which accounts you read, he became either a hardened pirate or a successful merchant.  He had taken part in the war against the French and had proved himself a excellent commander.  By 1691 he had married a rich widow, Sarah Bradley Cox Oort and was living comfortably in Wall Street in New York. 

Piracy was rife at this time and Kidd went to London where he was given a letter of marque signed by King William III with a stipulation that ten percent of the loot acquired should be given to the Crown (1696).  Many eminent men were also backers, among them were Lord Somers the Lord Chancellor, Richard Coote 1st Earl of Bellomont, who had been appointed Governor of New York and Robert Livingston (a rich colonial official).  Kidd was fitted out with a new ship, the Adventure Galley (sails and oars) and sailed back to New York to begin his venture.  He and his crew were at sea for over two years and word got back to the authorities that they had become pirates themselves.  Kidd seems to have encountered many trials and difficulties at sea, running out of water and food which led to much resentment from his crew.  One crew member (William Moore) moaned so much that Kidd threw a bucket at him.  Unfortunately it fractured the man's skull and he died.

Bellomont

In 1689 Kidd captured an Armenian ship, the Quedagh Merchant (captained by an Englishman, Wright) full of riches from the East Indies, a very rich prize indeed, but hardly, it was argued, a legitimate one.  He took the ship to Madagascar and paid his crew many of whom promptly left him for another pirate captain, Robert Culliford.  Those left, burnt the Adventure Galley, which had by now become rundown and renamed the Quedagh Merchant the Adventure Merchant.  Kidd returned to New York, and rumours were started that he had left the richly laden ship in some hidden place and returned in a smaller vessel.

Kidd knew that he was a wanted man, but Bellomont persuaded him that he should come ashore to prove his innocence.  Kidd did as he was asked but was later arrested and imprisoned by Bellomont along with some of his crew.  Bellomont was also keen to find out what Kidd had done with the goods he had seized from the Quedagh Merchant, some turned up, but not all.  Keen to distance himself from the embarrassment that Kidd had now become, he had the men sent to London for trial.  Perhaps Kidd assumed that the powerful men who had sent him on his venture would back him once he returned to England.

Meanwhile back in England, Captain Kidd's reputation as a pirate had gained dizzying heights!  Those who had once backed him were now keen to distance themselves from any hint of involvement with a notorious pirate.  Kidd was imprisoned at Newgate Prison in London.  He was brought before Parliament and questioned.  He was then accused of piracy and murder and sent for trial along with the men who had been captured with him.  Two witnesses were brought who gave evidence about the killing of William Moore, it is thought in return for being pardoned themselves.  He was found guilty of murder.

On the charges of piracy, there was the difficulty of proving this.  Kidd said he had commissions for what he had done, but could not produce proof of this in court - his papers had "disappeared".  Kidd protested his innocence till the end.  (The papers turned up 200 years later!)

Captain William Kidd was hanged at Execution Dock in May 1701 - unfortunately the rope broke on the first attempt, but the second was successful.  His body was then hung in chains over the Thames at Tilbury Dock until it decomposed as a warning to others.  However, the legend remained and grew!  Over the centuries various people have claimed to have found Kidd's treasure and the debate over whether he was guilty of piracy continues.  The legend just gets better and better!

Back to Newark Castle

Now that the cruise season has started in Inverclyde, Newark Castle in Port Glasgow will be attracting a lot of visitors.

It is certainly worth visiting.  Building started in the 15th century and a whole new north range added by the then laird, Patrick Maxwell, this was completed in 1597.  In this photograph you can see his initials and the date above the doorway and the motto

"The blissings of God be heirein".

My favourite part of Newark Castle is the doo'cot.  It is all that remains of a defensive wall that would have run around the original keep.  You can just about see where the wall would have been on either side of the structure.

Newark Castle, Port Glasgow is cared for by Historic Scotland.

Inverclyde Tourist Information

There are a lot of new signs in Inverclyde which are part of the Inverclyde Heritage Coastal Trail.

There's even a new bench at Custom House Quay - not sure how you would manage to read the information if folk were sitting on it!

Information about the Custom House itself.

Information about the Quay and how many, many Scots left from here to start new lives abroad.

Two "Great Greenockians" - Abram Lyle of sugar fame - Lyle's Golden Syrup

James McLean, founder of Greenock's museum and art gallery.

Great information for tourists to Greenock.

John Galt's New Head

At last the John Galt Fountain on the Esplanade, Greenock has been refurbished and he now has a new head!

You may recall my previous post about the John Galt Fountain, showing the damage that had been done when the previous sculpted profile had been removed.  Thankfully, Greenock now has at least a modest monument to this great man.  Wayne Darnell was the sculptor responsible for the new addition.

John Galt died in Greenock on this day, 11 April in 1839.  He died in his sister's house at the corner of Westburn Street and West Blackhall Street.  He is buried in Greenock's Inverkip Street Cemetery.

Dead or Alive

Where did John Galt get his idea for the story Buried Alive?  Well, just a few years before, in 1818 the Glasgow anatomist Dr Andrew Ure had conducted some galvanic experiments on the body of executed murderer Matthew Clydesdale.

Andrew Ure (source)

 Andrew Ure (1778-1857) had been an army surgeon and became Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow's Andersonian Institution.  He had an interest in all aspects of science - chemistry, mechanics, astronomy and was a regular contributor to the Philosophical Magazine owned and edited by Galt's father-in-law, Alexander Tilloch. 

In November 1818, Matthew Clydesdale was tried for murder in Glasgow and sentenced to hanging after which his body to be handed over to the anatomists.  The hanging took place in public in front of the Glasgow High Court building and a large crowd attended the event.  The body was then taken up to Glasgow University where the experiments was to be carried out again in front of a large crowd.

Dr Ure reported on the event as follows -

Describing one of the experiments he says - "The pointed rod connected with one end of the battery was not placed in contact with the spinal marrow, while the other rod was applied to the sciatic nerve.  Every muscle of the body was immediately agitated with convulsive movements, resembling a violent shuddering from cold.  The left side was most powerfully convulsed at each renewal of the electric contact.  On moving the second rod from the hip to the heel, the knee being previously bent, the leg was thrown out with such violence, as nearly to overturn one of the assistants, who in vain attempted to prevent its extension."

(source)

More experiments followed including - "The supra-orbital nerve was laid bare in the forehead, as it issues through the supra-ciliary foramen, in the eyebrow: the one conducting rod being applied to it, and the other to the heel, most extraordinary grimaces were exhibited every time that the electric discharges were made, … every muscle in his countenance was simultaneously thrown into fearful action; rage, horror, despair, anguish, and ghastly smiles, united their hideous expressions in the murderer's face, surpassing far the wildest representations of a Fuseli or a Kean.  At this period several of the spectators were forced to leave the apartment from terror or sickness, and one gentleman fainted."  (I'm not surprised!)

Another event reported in many newspapers in 1818 was the report of Baron Hornstein who was said to have been buried alive in the family mausoleum.

Truth or fiction?

John Galt - Buried Alive

 I am pleased to say that the title of the post does not in any way refer to the death or burial of John Galt here in the Inverkip Street Cemetery in Greenock, but rather to a curious short story written by Galt in 1821.

Buried Alive was first printed in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine in 1821 and also included with others in Galt's The Steam Boat, a collection of stories related on a steamboat trip from Glasgow to Greenock and Helensburgh.  The story is narrated by "a young man with a white face and a slender habit of body" and is a strange tale of death and burial.

The pale young man recalls "… I heard the sound of weeping at my pillow - and the voice of the nurse say, "He is dead."  I cannot describe what I felt at these words.  I exerted my utmost power of volition to stir myself, but I could not move even an eyelid.  After a short pause my friend drew near; and, sobbing and convulsed with grief, drew his hand over my face, and closed my eyes.  The word was then darkened, but I could still hear, and feel, and suffer."

The narrator then goes on to recall his misuse by the undertakers who "treated what they believed a corpse, with the most appalling ribaldry."  Next comes the horrific tale of funeral and burial.  The earth is thrown on his coffin - he can hear the sound, but can do nothing about it.  He thinks about how his flesh will rot and decay, buried in the earth …

"In the contemplation of this hideous thought, I heard a low and undersound in the earth over me, and I fancied that the worms and the reptiles of death were coming - that the mole and the rat of the grave would soon be upon me.  The sound continued to grow louder and nearer."  I love this passage!

But the tale is not finished, John Galt has a couple of surprises for the reader.  Suddenly the buried man feels hand about his neck and he is dragged from his coffin, his body is thrown into a carriage.  He has been taken by the body-snatchers or resurrection men!  He is carried into a room, stripped of his shroud and placed on a table.  He is in an anatomy theatre where galvanic experiments are to be made on his body - "The first shock vibrated through all my nerves; they rung and jangled like the strings of a harp."  And then …..?!

Well you can read the remainder of the story online here.

John Galt - brilliant author and teller of tales!

On the River Clyde - Fort Victoria

Beautiful day yesterday as these photographs show.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort Victoria - looked huge out on the River Clyde!  Photographs taken from Gourock.

Store ship and tanker for the Royal Navy - you can read all about her at this great site.

The Victoria Tower

Greenock's Victoria Tower - part of the Municipal Buildings.

Completed in 1886, it is 245 feet tall.

John Galt and the story of Bryce Gilliland

I have written about John Galt (1779-1839) a few times on this blog.  Not only do I admire him as someone who has Greenock connections, but I enjoy reading his work for enjoyment, and also for the little snippets of local information that abound in his work.  Recently I re-read Galt's autobiography and came across a story that got me interested and I decided to do some further research.  It is the story of Bryce Gilliland.

In his Autobiography John Galt writes about his unhealthy childhood -

"This infirm state led me not only to avoid the hearty exercises of other boys, but to seek indoor amusement that was, had it been observed, remarkable in one so young.  I remember that there were a number of old women who lived in the closs behind my grandmother's house, and in their society to hear their tales and legends I was a frequent visitor.  One of them was the mother of Lieutenant Gueliland, who was flag-officer to Lord Nelson, and killed at the battle of Trafalgar.  He was older than me, and I do not recollect him very well, but he was a brave and intelligent officer; his townsmen have erected a monument to his memory in the church, and I have the gratification to record that I obtained for his only sister a munificent donation from the Patriotic Fund formed during the war at Lloyd's."

Sure enough there is a monument to Lieutenant Guilland in Irvine Old Parish Church -

  

It is likely that he went to sea of his own accord, as many Irvine men did and was later press-ganged into service with the Royal Navy.  His naval career seemed to have started as an Able Seaman on HMS Diana in 1794 and proceeded with service on many navy ships such as HMS Standard.  He was Quartermaster on HMS Northumberland and rose to the rank of Midshipman and Master's Mate.  In 1801 he served aboard Nelson's flagship HMS Foudroyant.  He saw service in the Egyptian Campaign becoming a Lieutenant and serving on HMS Druid. (Information from a fabulous site "Trafalgar Ancestors" at the National Archive.)

Ironically, Between 1801 and 1802 Guilliland was part of the impress service based at the Strong Man pub in Lower East Smithfield recruiting for the Royal Navy ship HMS Determinee.  Thereafter he was transferred to HMS Dreadnaught where he came to the attention of Admiral Collingwood.

Collingwood

He must have made a good impression on the Admiral because on 9 October Collingwood wrote to Nelson that he wished to take his Signal Lieutenant, Brice Gilliland with him from the Dreadnaught to the Royal Sovereign.

On 21 October 1805 Bryce Gilliland, aged 36 was killed on board the Royal Sovereign during her heroic struggles in the Battle of Trafalgar.

As John Galt points out, Lloyds did, on 28 July 1803, set up a Patriotic Fund "to assist the many casualties of the Napoleonic Wars".  It is still in existence, working with armed forces charities providing help to those in need.

Perhaps John Galt was remembering the old stories he heard told by Bryce Gilliland's mother when he wrote this passage  in his 1821 novel Annals of the Parish.  The passage refers to a young man from the locality, Charles Malcolm and is told by the narrator of the book, the Rev Micah Balwhidder -

Extract from Annals of the Parish by John Galt 1821

Sound familiar?