Memories of river ferries

This picture shows the RENFREW FERRY heading back home to the Broomielaw after being refitted at Garvel, Greenock.
Tom McNeil posted it on Clydesite on 20th April

The RENFREW Ferry is very well known on the Clyde as she sits - or rather, sat - at Windmillcroft Quay, opposite the Broomielaw in Glasgow for many years. However, confusion can reign. Do you know there are four 'Renfrew ferries'? This one, which was built in 1952, two exisiting Renfrew ferries (YOKER SWAN and RENFREW ROSE) and currently half submerged in the basin at Renfrew, the old ERSKINE FERRY which was the original steam powered RENFREW FERRY.

All very confusing.

Anyway, the one you see above has just finished having some alterations done to her (and by the time you read this) she will be at her new berth at the Broomielaw, where she is destined to become some sort of static venue, similar to her years on the other side of the river.

On Clydesite we have many people with memories of the old river ferries. At one time, from Finnieston to Erskine, a large number of craft transported either passengers, or passengers and vehicles, across the River Clyde.

This truly superb picture was posted by Stuart Cameron this year along with the following information:

"This one shows two ferries on the run between Mavisbank Quay / General Terminus on the south side and Lancefield Quay on the north bank.

The vessels are Vehicular Ferryboat No 3 and passenger ferry No 10.

In the background is the bottom of Elliot Street in which was located the engine building works where my maternal grandfather worked.

Through visits with him I got my earliest views of the upper river and its vessels and remember watching these two on numerous occasions in the early 1960s. Note also Harland & Wolff's Finnieston Engine Works projecting just above the roof of the Lancefield Quay shed; these works were built up from the Lancefield Foundry originally opened by David Napier and developed by his cousin Robert."

Next up is something of a surprise to me. Here is the Govan Ferry No 2. Tom Carreyette uploaded this one almost exactly two years ago, and adds the following interesting information:

"Taken 23/9/78.

This ferry had a reprieve when the Glasgow Underground was closed for major refurbishment (I think it was closed for about 2 years 77/8).

It was just to cover the Partick-Govan crossing as the other links could be made by bus. The ferry crossing was free also."

Stuart Cameron again contributed this great shot of the RENFREW FERRY, and with the following enlightenment in a post headed "Last day of the Renfrew chain ferry":

"On 30th May 1984 the age old passenger and vehicle chain ferry service between Renfrew and Yoker came to an end. This shows the Clyde's only diesel electric chain ferry, Renfrew (II), operating on that last day. She was built by Flemimg & Ferguson in Paisley and is now the floating (sometimes!) entertainments venue associated with Euroyachts at Windmillcroft Quay, Glasgow"

Stuart's parenthetic observation relates to the alarming state of the riverbed underneath her in recent years. At very low tides she appeared to settle, at a most disquieting angle, on a mud bank! One wonders whether or not revellers attributed the strange tendency to lean in different ways to this or thought it was more to do with the quality of the refreshments.



What we have here is another splendid photo, this time from John Newth. It shows the RENFREW FERRY, and in the Pudzeoch Basin, the old ERSKINE (ex RENFREW) FERRY as well as one of the old vehicular ferries from the upper reaches of the river. John took this from on board WAVERLEY as she made a chartered cruise on the 22nd September 1973.

And a truly lovely shot that will awaken many memories. Even almost mine, as I made this crossing myself at the age of three! All I recall was the car was hot and we had to wait as a giant cargo ship - or was it more than one - passed by. Gary Lucas posted this just recently, a photo sent to him by a relative. He also posted some other great shots from earlier times.