The Rise & Fall of Whiteinch

Whiteinch grew suddenly in the second half of the 19th century from just a house to what effectively became a burgh. Well, almost. At its height it had what was termed a burgh hall, but in reality Whiteinch was actually part of Partick Burgh, so Whiteinch's Burgh Hall bore the coat of arms of Partick.

The sudden growth stemmed from the appearance of Robert Barclay & Curle, a shipbuilding firm who wished to expand from their Stobcross Shipyard, and so moved to takeover an existing shipyard - the Clydeholm Shipyard - in the Whiteinch area.

Before then, Whiteinch did not exist, at least not as a sizeable built-up area. There was a steading or big house called Whiteinch in the area in the mid-18th century, and part of that name probably came from one of the inches, or islands, that sat in the middle of the River Clyde before the water channel was deepened.

Barclay, Curle & Company, as they later became known, expanded their operation, taking over all four pre-existing shipyards and building engineering works that specialised in marine engines for ships.

And with all this growth and employment came prosperity to the whole area. In addition to new tenements to house the shipyard workforce, there were facilities and services for the increasing population, everything from new churches and halls to sports grounds, a burgh hall, library, police station, swimming baths and theatre.

Oh... and a park: Victoria Park, complete with a boating pond, curling pond, bandstand, recreation rooms for old men, and a Fossil Grove with stone trees.

But how times change.

We do still have shipbuilding on the River Clyde, but no longer at Whiteinch. After sundry takeovers and closures all shipyards and engineering works once owned by Barclay, Curle & Company at Whiteinch closed down in the late 1960s.

That, combined with a decline is use of the River Clyde for transportation, along with the building of the Clyde Tunnel, led to a gradual decline in Whiteinch, with the destruction of most of its tenements and the loss of many services, like its police station, swimming baths, theatre/picture house, and other public facilities.

Its fine Burgh Hall now lies derelict, a neglected building whose vacant windows and tired facade echoes the loss of industry, the loss of employment, and the loss of spirit in this once proud place.